Many of us become aware of our pores at some point during the waning years of our childhood, when we stumble upon our mothers’ makeup mirrors.
It can be a traumatizing sight after hardly giving your skin any thought up to that point in your life. Ever since, you understand, deep down, that they’re a part of you that no one else can see unless they’re standing an inch or two from your face, but some days, it’s much easier to imagine them as the little craters they appeared to be in that magnifying mirror.
Now comes the almost-too-good-to-be-true news that hyaluronic acid fillers could be used to drastically reduce the appearance of large pores.
The results are clear
The study that produced the viral headline was published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology. Researchers at Capital Medical University in Beijing injected the faces of 42 patients with intradermal low molecular weight hyaluronic acid two to five times, leaving either a one or a one-and-a-half month timespan between each treatment.
In follow-ups, the researchers noticed a significant difference in the appearance of large pores from the injections. They weren’t the only ones. The participants did, too. Their satisfaction rate was an incredible 92.8%.
Too much of a good thing?
Collagen is the structural foundation for our skin. As such, it helps to hold our pores in place and maintain their shape. As we age, our bodies produce less collagen, which allows the pores to become more pronounced. (To be more specific, from age 20, the dermis layer of the skin produces 1% less collagen each year.) A number of external factors, like sun damage, only enhance that process.
Hyaluronic acid injections have been shown to lead to an increase in collagen production. As one prominent dermatologist said in response to the study, “If collagen is the frame of our mattress, then hyaluronic acid is the stuffing. Replacing lost volume with injected hyaluronic acid can also minimize the appearance of pores by re-inflating the skin, like re-stuffing the deflated cushion.”
It is worth noting that the amount of filler the researchers injected per treatment was a lot. And while the participants had few visible pores, injecting fillers at that amount and frequency could lead to an unnatural, overfilled look that no one wants.
In that vein, it’s always a good idea to consult a board-certified plastic surgeon who has extensive experience administering facial fillers and ask many questions beforehand so you know exactly what to expect.