Pores
Blackheads and open pores: what clears them and what does not
Updated 12 October 2026
Blackheads are pores plugged with oil and dead skin; the tip turns dark in the air, not from dirt. Open pores are pores stretched by oil and, with age, by loss of firmness around them.
Pore size is mostly genetic, so no product closes pores. Keeping them clear makes them look much smaller.
What works
- Salicylic acid (BHA): dissolves the plug inside the pore. A wash or a leave-on, a few times a week.
- Niacinamide: reduces oil, so pores fill up more slowly.
- Retinol, or adapalene if your doctor prescribes it, at night: keeps pores from clogging and firms the skin around them over months.
- Sunscreen: sun damage loosens the skin around pores and makes them look bigger.
- A clay mask once a week to soak up oil.
What makes it worse
- Pore strips and squeezing: they stretch pores and can leave marks.
- Harsh scrubs: they irritate the skin, which makes more oil.
- Heavy creams and oils on the T-zone.
