Got Porexia? How You Can Get Perfect Pores With Trendy or Homemade Treatments

Aug. 29, 2011 — -- Move over Botox and collagen. Forget wrinkles and sunspots. Now more than ever, people are becoming obsessed with the pores on their face.

Dermatologists have even coined a new term for it: porexia.

"I see patients all day every day who are literally obsessed with the size of their pores," Doris Day, a dermatologist, told "Good Morning America."

Enlarged pores are generally caused by genetics, but sun exposure and oily skin can make them appear like mini-craters.

Scroll to the end to see the recipe for Dr. Day's homemade facial.

"There's nothing that you can do to make your pores go away but there are things you can do both as a quick fix and over the long term to make your pores appear smaller," Day, author of the book"Forget the Facelift," said. "This is something as simple as using a product containing salicylic acid, or by gently exfoliating the skin."

When Traditional Treatments Don't Work

Some A-list celebrities fret over their large pores and reportedly use products to conceal them. But what can you do when makeup and creams don't get the job done?

Kathy O'Connor acknowledges she's "obsessed" with her pores.

"My skin isn't that good by nature," she told "GMA." "I'm 45 and I just really have to work at it at this point."

So O'Connor goes to Face Place in New York City to get a facial she swears by. It's called the "Galvanic Current Mask."

The FDA-approved facial comes in three parts and takes just about one hour and thirty minutes to complete.

Tom Woodhouse, the head aesthetician at Face Place NYC, explains how the $140 treatment works:

First, a leather mask called a heat dome is placed over the face and neck. A heating element runs outside of the dome. After 10 minutes, strips of cotton soaked with vitamins and minerals are applied to the face. Then the galvanic current mask is applied.

"And it makes dry heat rather than the damp heat, steam. It's much gentler on the skin. It does a beautiful job gently opening the pores and it starts to liquefy the oil," Woodhouse said.

The treatment allows vitamins and minerals to go deep into the skin, and at the same time the galvanic current contracts the muscles in the face and neck, helping to firm the tissues and tighten the pores, Woodhouse added.

But if electrical current isn't your thing, how about something that's all-natural?

Unusual, All-Natural Ingredient

AtShizuka Day Spa, owner Shizuka Bernstein says her geisha facial – which includes the use of purified bird droppings -- is in high demand.

"The ingredients in the droppings have a natural enzyme and it exfoliates, it breaks down the top layer of the skin, so it's a good exfoliation," Bernstein said.

But Day wasn't so sure.

"Anything that is a leftover or a by-product especially in feces of another animal I would be very hesitant to use on my skin," she said.

For centuries, geishas used the droppings to remove makeup and revitalize their skin. Bernstein incorporated the idea to make it a substitute for clients who didn't want to use harsh chemicals on their face.

Mixed with rice bran and applied to the face, the bird droppings emit an "organic" aroma, but first-time client Jennifer Teman didn't seem to mind, and she's looking forward to her next visit.

"It smelled a little funny, but I was expecting that… I would recommend other people to do it because it's definitely a different kind of a facial to get," Teman said.

The geisha facial takes about 60 minutes and costs $180.

Dr. Doris Day's Homemade Facial

Ingredients

White tea1/4 cup dark organic honey3 tbsps. aloe gel1 cucumber sliced to 1/8" round slices

Directions

Brew eight cups strong white tea. Add honey and aloe. Cool to room temperature, add the cucumber slices and refrigerate for four hours or overnight.

Apply the cucumber slices to your face for three to five minutes as needed. More cucumber slices can be added as needed until the liquid is used up or for up to one week. This also works as a great eye depuffer.

The caffeine, antioxidants, soothing effects of aloe, antiseptic effects of honey and astringent effect of cucumber all work perfectly together to hydrate, calm the skin and minimize the appearance of pores.