For some of us, enlarged pores are a daily cosmetic annoyance. The good news is that there are ways to minimise their appearance and smooth out your complexion

One very unpleasant fact of life is that our pores appear larger as we age, especially around the nose. Often, these pores are much more noticeable if you have oily skin, but even women with dry complexions can suffer from large pores within the dreaded T-zone. Most enlarged pores on the face are the result of hereditary factors, more than anything else. If your mum and dad had them, you may too.

A pore is an opening for a sebaceous oil gland, but, contrary to what many beauty therapists may tell you, 'they can't be opened or closed from the outside,' says skincare specialist Janet Filderman. She suggests the best tactic for treating them is to stop using harsh toners or astringents on the affected areas. 'Using these products may have a very temporary 'tightening' effect on pores, but it's extremely short-lived,' she explains. 'The alcohol in the products cause the capillaries to dilate and the tiny erectile muscles of the pores to tighten, making pores look temporarily smaller.' In fact, harsh astringents actually encourage oil glands to over-produce oil, leading to an increase in the size of pores.

Give moisturiser a miss
What most people don't realise is that the skin produces quite enough moisture and oil on its own in the T-zone and doesn't need more. This is why leading facialist Eve Lom advises avoiding putting moisturiser on the area. She explains that if you do this, your pores should gradually start to appear less obvious, though they may never disappear completely. Of course, during the summer this isn't quite so feasible. If you have to make a choice between wearing sun protection and minimising the size of your pores, SPF should take priority.

Changing your make-up technique can also help camouflage the appearance of large pores. To create the illusion of a poreless complexion, make-up artist Bobbi Brown advises applying foundation, concealer, powder and blusher in a downward motion, 'otherwise you'll accentuate pores by pushing colour up and into them,' she says.

If it's any consolation, open pores are one of the skin 'woes' that we tend to obsess about ourselves but that others rarely notice. So one last tip: if you use a magnifying mirror, you might be overly concerned with your pores (all of our pores appear the size of small craters in these mirrors), so switching back to a regular mirror may shrink your pore worries too.