Why Do Pores Look Bigger With Age? Causes & Care
By the Founder of Lolovegan
Enlarged Pores Aren’t Always About Excess Oil
Pores can look more noticeable as the skin around them loses firmness—even if your skin isn’t becoming oilier.
When we notice enlarged pores, our first thought is often excess sebum—the natural oil our skin produces—or clogged skin. But that does not explain every change we see.
As skin ages and becomes less firm, pores may appear more stretched or elongated. In its guidance on skin changes during menopause, the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) explains that reduced skin firmness can contribute to larger-looking pores.
This does not mean every visible pore is a sign of aging. It means that if your pores look different from before, oil control may be only part of the picture.
That connection changed how I thought about pore care. When changes in firmness are involved, it makes sense to consider the surrounding skin—not simply how thoroughly we cleanse it.
What Can Help When Pores Look Larger With Age?
A useful starting point is gentle cleansing, daily moisturizing, and sun protection, followed by care for your main concern.
The AAD’s guide to choosing anti-aging skincare recommends starting with moisturizer and sunscreen, then focusing on the concern that matters most to you.
For pores that seem more noticeable alongside a loss of firmness, this offers a practical way forward:
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Cleanse gently. More visible pores are not automatically a reason to scrub harder.
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Keep skin moisturized. Make comfortable hydration part of your everyday routine.
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Protect your skin from the sun. Use broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher in the morning.
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Introduce one new product at a time. Choose it for your skin’s needs and give yourself time to observe how your skin responds.
The aim is to care for your skin consistently, with realistic expectations—not to make every pore disappear.
Why Skin Comfort Matters to Me
For sensitive skin, an anti-aging routine needs to feel manageable enough to keep using.
Having sensitive skin myself, I care about how a product feels in everyday use as much as what it promises. That experience shapes how I approach product development: visible results matter, but so do texture, comfort, and how easily a product fits into someone’s existing routine.
This was the thinking behind Baku Firming Duo. The serum and cream combine 1% bakuchiol and nine vegan peptides with ingredients such as cica, niacinamide, and allantoin, chosen with skin comfort and hydration in mind. Both are fragrance-free and certified vegan.
We also measured pore size and elasticity together. In a human clinical study, using the serum and cream together for two weeks showed a 20.77% reduction in pore size and a 3.15% improvement in skin elasticity. These results apply to the duo under the study conditions, not to either product used alone, and individual results may vary.
For me, those measurements support an approach that considers pores and firmness together, while keeping daily care simple.
How Can You Start Without Changing Your Whole Routine?
Keep the products that already work for you, and add one step if you need it.
If you want to begin with one product, I recommend Baku Firming Serum. Its very lightweight texture makes it easy to use with a moisturizer you already enjoy:
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Cleanse gently.
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Apply the serum. A toner is optional.
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Follow with your usual moisturizer or richer cream.
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In the morning, finish with broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher.
If your priority is finding a nourishing moisturizer without a heavy or sticky finish, Baku Firming Cream can be your starting point instead. You can also pair the two, but you do not need to introduce everything at once.
With sensitive skin, test a small area first and introduce new products gradually. Fragrance-free formulas can still cause individual reactions, so pay attention to how your skin feels.
If your pores are becoming more noticeable, it may be time to look beyond oil control and consider firmness, too. Start with the basics, choose one concern to focus on, and build a routine that feels comfortable to repeat.
Everyday care, considered.