Glycolic acid, an ally against blackheads and enlarged pores.

Pores are the openings through which sebum, or oil, is secreted. There are as many as 300,000 just on the face alone! They can become unsightly when they are enlarged, giving the appearance of anirregular skin texture. According to a study, skin pores are considered "visible" and "enlarged" when their diameter ranges between 0.06 and 0.1 mm2.

When pores are large and dilated, they become real "entry points" for impurities (pollution microparticles, dead cells, cosmetic residues, sebum...). What then occurs is a phenomenon of saturation, leading to the formation of "plugs". Upon contact with air, these oxidise and take on a dark hue: blackheads (or open comedones) appear.

If left untreated, blackheads can rupture and release their contents outward, either spontaneously or when pressure is applied with fingers or a comedone extractor. They can also progress to an inflammatory stage and form red and painful acne spots.

One should avoid handling their blackheads to prevent infection. However, they rarely disappear on their own and it may be beneficial to seek a professional skin cleansing or to have their comedones mechanically extracted by a dermatologist. This allows for the unblocking of pores, enabling the skin to better absorb applied treatments.

Take note! When we talk about enlarged pores, we are actually referring to dilated ostia. Indeed, ostia are the sebum elimination openings connected to the sebaceous glands, while pores are the sweat excretion holes correlated with the sweat glands. However, in general parlance, we tend to refer to enlarged pores when discussing sebaceous pores, which are often more visible on the T-zone of the face (forehead, nose, chin).

Glycolic acid is a friend to oily skin and acne-prone skin. Its main property is to be keratolytic thereby preventing the accumulation of cellular waste on the surface of the epidermis. Indeed, through simple contact and without rubbing, glycolic acid will weaken the lipid bonds between the cells of the horny layer, thus freeing the skin from its layer of dead cells. This property will gradually remove the obstruction of the pores and promote the evacuation of sebum.

It also possesses a sebum-regulating action. Indeed, glycolic acid helps to combat the abnormal accumulation of sebum in the dilated pores of the skin, which is the cause of the formation of acne lesions and blackheads. Known as being the smallest of the alpha-hydroxy acids (A.H.A.), glycolic acid manages to easily penetrate the layers of the skin. It thus acts on the surface but also in depth.