Our poor pores have bore the brunt of our skin frustrations - from producing pimples throughout our teenage years like a game of Whack-The-Mole to growing bigger and more noticeable as we age.

We’ve attacked them with alcohol-based skin “toners” when we were young, squeezed them, dried them out, and have generally beat them up. All along, we didn’t ever bother to get to really know them.

Pores are tiny openings on your skin that contain oil-producing sebaceous glands. They allow dead skin cells to reach the surface so they can be shed. The average adult has 5 million oil and sweat pores on their body with 20,000 of those on the face.

Pores don’t magically open and close like a door at the supermarket. Washing your face with hot water doesn’t open pores. All it does is loosen hardened dirt, oil, and makeup. On that note, we recommend using lukewarm water as hot water can also remove the natural oils on your skin and lead to excessive dryness.

While pores don’t close they can, however, get clogged by excess oil, bacteria, and dead skin cells leading to a whitehead or a blackhead. This is why gentle exfoliation with a product such as Sealuxe's Goddess Grains Facial Cleanser is one of the keys to healthy skin.

Pore size does come down to genetics, skin tone, and age. Take a look at your parents’ skin – what their pores look like can be a good predictor. Lighter skin tones tend to have smaller pores than people with darker skin. As the skin matures and loses firmness, pores can appear larger because they’re stretched by sagging (this, of course, happens to people of all skin tones, male and female).

Your menstrual cycle can also affect pore size with the ebb and flow of hormones.

In addition to exfoliating, it also helps to stay hydrated. Moisturize your skin and drink plenty water. Accept your pores, no matter their size, as a wonderful part of being human.