Why are we so obsessed with the appearance of pores?

• Aesthetic tweaks The dangers of high demand to look like Instagram filters in your 20s
• Instagram Why do they keep trying to sneak the big lie of postpartum posados?

In a brief consultation carried out by ZEN, dozens of young people -and not so young-, admit to being unable to send acquaintances a naturalselfie. That is, without the photograph going through Photoshop in real time: the filters of social networks.

We are normalizing unreal faces. No wrinkles or expression lines, no trace of dark circles, with very thick lips, raised cheekbones and, above all, very smooth and smooth skin. That impact makes us not like the reality we see in front of the mirror, corroborate aesthetic medicine professionals, facialists, dermatologists and pharmacists who go in search of a solution to perfect the skin.

The impact of using filters regularly makes us want more to have pristine skin. Shutterstock

UNPOSSIBLE PRESSURES

According to data from the Spanish Society of Aesthetic Medicine (SEME), four out of 10 Spaniards make use of aesthetic medicine. Of these, 71.8% are women and 28.2% men. Undoubtedly, in this increase in demand, which in turn occurs at an increasingly younger age (it has fallen from 35 to 20 years), the influence of social networks is perceived. Meta has reported that more than 600 million people have used filters on Facebook or Instagram, while Snapchat details that more than 90% of young people in the United States, France and the United Kingdom use them. Several published studies already show how digital beauty filters tend to have a negative impact on mental health.

Another report conducted in the United Kingdom after interviewing 175 people between 18 and 30 years old reveals that this editing software is playing a new and key role in the lives of young women. "They distrust censorship and are deeply convinced not to 'not judge' others, but nearly two-thirds believe the government must act urgently to regulate the media and social media to protect them from impossible pressures," the document details. In fact, France has already done so and, among other issues, forces influencers to say if they use beautification filters in their publications.

NON-SURGICAL TREATMENTS

The cosmetic firm Benefit has developed a new specific line to perfect the appearance of pores. EM

The beauty industry in general, which works to preserve and beautify the complexion non-invasively, also notices these concerns. From the cosmetic firm Benefit detail that, in the three years it has taken to develop a new line of pore care, PoreCare, they have investigated how they obsess "clogged pores, irregular texture in the skin and pore size," describes Giner Muñoz, beauty and eyebrow expert at Benefit Spain.

It is not something that is solved with infiltrations, unlike wrinkles and expression lines, where hyaluronic acid injections and Botox triumph as a star. Hormonal factors, dirt and impurities due to pollution and makeup, genetic factors and even aging make this filtering effect on the skin impossible, explains Muñoz. "In many cases it is not something we can control, but we can help prevent through good hygiene and specific products," he says.

If the problem is clogged pores (accumulation of sebum that clogs the pore and creates blackheads, whiteheads, etc.), the specialist recommends cleaning the face in depth. "And if the concern is their size, it's best to treat them with cleansers and toners that contain ingredients like AHAs and PHAs," Muñoz advises.

Another of its tricks is the double cleaning that is so fashionable. "At least once a day, dry the skin with towels that are not very aggressive with the skin and, another important fact, always use a clean towel every new day, so we avoid the spread of bacteria on our face."

ARTISANAL OXYGENATION

Cristina Galmiche, guru of conflicting skins with more than three decades of experience and her own method. EM

In the cabin, who knows most about pores is Cristina Galmiche: she has been cultivating her own professional method to restore the overall health of the face for three decades. She has three centers in Madrid, Alcalá de Henares and Malaga and is well known for her facial oxygenations and acne treatments, the DNA of her work as a facialist. In fact, she is one of the few professionals who still advocates a manual and sustainable proposal, in connection with simplicity and authenticity.

"Pimples and dirty pores boycott the health of our skin, as well as not being aesthetically pleasing. And more nowadays, when beauty is a subject that interests us all, "he says. Its appearance greatly influences lifestyle, he says, from the level of stress to nutrition.

"At the origin of this dermatological problem there is a strong genetic and hormonal component, although it can be worsened by other causes such as little sleep, inadequate cosmetics, not having a good daily cleaning routine or a diet with a high glycemic index -refined sugars- and away from the Mediterranean diet. Chocolate, sausages, fried foods... We have always heard that eating certain foods favors the appearance or worsening of acne."

View this post on Instagram

When he started in the profession, 35 years ago, he needed to find a solution for the most conflictive skins: acne, sensitivity, rosacea, dermatitis ... "I knew that the key was to define a protocol that was able to control the problems generated by excess fat in the skin without attacking and preventing the balance of the hydrolipidic mantle from being altered," he recalls.

The undisputed star of this method is artisanal oxygenation: a deep hygiene that cleans and unblocks the pores with a manual and safe extraction that she describes as the best drug against any pimple or rash and that is also the starting point of a skin that breathes, more nourished, young and illuminated.

A strong advocate of skinimalism, less is more, who triumphs on Pinterest Predicts. "If we do not oxygenate the skin, the first thing we will observe is the lack of luminosity, a dull and sallow tone. In the case of people with an overproduction of sebum in the sebaceous glands, it is very likely that comedones, microcysts, milliuns, pimples proliferate before the appearance of acne bacteria, open pores and blackheads. " Excess oil is also behind rosacea skin, Galmiche says. "The vast majority of these skins also have altered pH and this explains many of the dermatitis and dermatological sensitivity we observe today."

DISSECTION OF THE PORES

A dirty skin will not be able to receive in the same way as another cleans the assets of the creams. "It is logical, if the conduit through which cosmetic products penetrate the skin is not free of dirt or dead cells, among other impurities, the active ingredients can not enter or fulfill their function, be it moisturizing, nourishing, controlling fat, tightening ...".

Surely you have ever encountered an uncomfortable white spot. What about brown fat? "If we see it with that color it means that it takes longer on the skin without removing. The longer it remains occupying a space that it should not, we will run the risk of causing a breakdown of the skin – open pores – in addition to showing a suffocated, poorly sanitized and aged complexion. "

What we can achieve with the help of a cleaning carried out by professionals and with a good routine at home is to smooth the pore and make it feel closed, says Galmiche. "What we offer with this oxygenation is a lifelong cleaning, but paying special attention to manual extraction, which is done by carefully draining each pore, without attacking or leaving marks. The technical prowess involved in such a job is very demanding and requires a highly qualified beautician."

It is true that in the market there are many options, but if the canvas on which he works is not rigorously sanitized, he believes, the appliances will not give the expected results either. "I would even dare to say that the new luxury is in the artisan work, also in the beauty sector," defends the guru of conflictive skins.

What if we are the ones who touch the pimples, can the remedy be worse than the disease? "Touching or 'popping up' grains is the worst thing you can do at home. The reason is that the infection can spread, causing the appearance of more pimples. And we will also have marks."

• beauty

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Learn more