Dear Paula Question of the Month: January 2012

Dear Paula,

I have learned so much from you and I appreciate all the knowledge you so willingly share. I have a problem with clogged pores. Unfortunately, I think I'm the culprit. I have a horrible habit of picking my face daily! I know this is wrong, but I can't seem to stop and I keep making matters worse.

I'm at the point where I just don't know what to do or what products to use. Because I'm causing damage to my skin, I have a lot of peeling, and dry skin, but at the same time my pores seem to get clogged so easily. Currently, I use either your 2% BHA Liquid or Lotion twice a day, RESIST moisturizer for oily/combo skin, and RESIST serum. I haven't been using a toner, and for cleansing I use Olay's gentle wash for sensitive skin. Thank you for any advice you may have!

Bethany, via email

Dear Bethany,

Your skin-care routine is fine, though I hope you're using sunscreen on a daily basis (perhaps in your foundation) because without question ongoing sun damage will make the skin issues you're dealing with worse.

Ultimately, your concern over constantly picking your skin is one that you need to discuss with your physician or psychologist/psychiatrist. Not being able to overcome or stop this issue on your own means that professional help is needed, and you don't need to be embarrassed to seek it. I suspect what began innocently enough (you were desperate to do something about your clogged pores) has become a compulsion you're no longer able to control. With the right professional help, you should be able to get a handle on this via behavior modification or perhaps medication.

As for why your pores clog so easily, it may be because your skin is producing too much oil. You didn't mention an issue with oily skin, but unless you're really piling on thick, emollient products, pore clogging almost always involves excess oil. You may want to see an aesthetician or cosmetic dermatologist for a professional BHA peel and/or manual extraction of blackheads. Both can go a long way to helping reduce clogged pores, so you feel better about your skin and are less likely to pick at it.