Hot water opens skin pores while cold water closes or tightens them.

Part of our “Ask NuVista Plastic Surgery”series, where Valerie, our Office Manager and Aesthetician, answers questions about beauty. You can email Valerie to ask a question at info@nuvistaplasticsurgery.com or filling out the form to the right of this post. You can also leave her a question on facebook.

The reality is that pores don’t have muscles to open and close. While hot water may feel good on your skin, it can screw with your skin’s natural, protective oils and lead to over-drying or over production of sebum. Sebum is the fatty secretions of skin glands. If your skin becomes too dry, then the skin needs to produce more sebum as a protective layer. Washing your face with hot water dries out skin and can actually lead to oily skin and clogged pores. Lukewarm water is the best bet to cleanse gently yet effectively.

So if my pores aren’t more open after washing my face, why is it better to use creams and serums after I wash my face? The moisture on your face actually makes it easier for skin cells to absorb moisture. A dry sponge may have the capacity to hold a lot of moisture, but if you a dump cream on a dry sponge it will not go very far. A wet sponge, however, will allow that same cream to sink in further. And into the skin layers is really where we want our products to go!