Pores are small openings in the upper layers of the skin. Inside these openings you will find oil glands and hair follicles. If you're unlucky, you'll find other things as well, including bacteria, dead skin cells, ingrown hairs, trapped sweat and even infection. When your skin is healthy, pores are generally small and relatively unnoticeable. However, many skin problems show up at pore level.
Blackheads
Ordinarily, the oil or sebum produced by your oil glands finds its way out of your pores and onto your skin, where it helps protect and lubricate the skin. Sometimes, however, your glands produce too much oil or it has trouble finding its way out, or both. Oil then becomes trapped in the pore, stretching out the pore and making it look larger. Oil mixes in the pore with skin cells as they are naturally shed. Bacteria are also usually found in the pores. As the oil mixture is exposed to air, it takes on a dark, black appearance. The resulting clogged pore is called a blackhead, or open comedone, according to the University of Michigan.
Whiteheads
A whitehead is a closed comedone. It is is similar to a blackhead or open comedone with one obvious exception: rather than the pore being open so the contents are exposed to air, the pore is closed, usually by skin cells. The contents of the pore build up under the skin. Whiteheads can affect anyone but are common among people who suffer from acne.
Pustules
When a whitehead affects the surrounding skin, causing redness and inflammation, the result is called a pustule. Some, but not all people who suffer from acne, develop pustules. Pustules are also sometimes called pimples, according to the University of Michigan, and may be uncomfortable
Enlarged Pores
A pore is essentially a mini tube. When you are young and your skin is healthy, collagen in your skin holds the sides of that tube firmly in place. As you age and your skin produces less collagen, the sides of your pore aren't held up as well. The pore may tend to enlarge a bit as it loses its support. A number of anti-aging products aim to increase collage production in the skin to minimize natural changes in the skin as we age.
Prickly Heat
Prickly heat, or heat rash, most commonly occurs in very young children, according to the National Library of Medicine, but can affect a person of any age, particularly if the weather is humid and hot. When sweat becomes trapped in the pores, a rash of little red bumps develops. To treat prickly heat, the best solution is to relocate to a cooler, drier environment.
Ingrown Hairs
When a hair becomes trapped under the skin and is unable to emerge from a pore, it is called an ingrown hair. People with coarse and curly hair will occasionally have a hair that emerges from a pore but curls back down and grows into the skin, a condition usually also labeled an ingrown hair. In the first case, the ingrown hair usually results from a problem with the pore, while in the latter case, the issue is usually related to shaving.
