"I had the laser, but as time passed my pores widened again."
"Everyone recommends a different treatment, and I have no idea what's right for my pores."
These are things people worrying about pores confide all the time.
Hello, I'm Director Kwon Si-jin & Yoon Ju-hyun at DA Clinic Myeongdong ^^
We're getting ready to open our doors in Myeongdong soon, and since so many people have been feeling frustrated about pores ahead of our opening, we wanted to put together this overview for your information first.
Let me start with the bottom line. With pores, knowing 'why they widened' first is the order — more than 'which treatment you have'.
Read this for just 3 minutes and you'll see the standards worth keeping in mind, wherever you have it done.
Pores Don't Widen for a 'Single Reason'
The causes of widening pores fall broadly into three. Because a lot of sebum comes out, because elasticity drops with age, and because pores stretch out after going through acne.
When the cause is different, the effective treatment is different too.
If you only stack elasticity treatments on pores widened by sebum, they'll improve for a while and then easily open up again.
It's easier to understand if you picture a run in a stocking. You have to see where it started unraveling to know where to tighten ㅎㅎ
So DA Clinic Myeongdong isn't fixing the treatment name in advance — we're preparing in a way that diagnoses the pore type and the main cause first, then combines the treatment to match.
First, 'Sebum-Type' Pores Mean Managing the Oil Glands
Areas where a lot of sebum comes out, like the nose and cheeks, are often cases where oil pushes the pore out from inside and the opening widens.
Here, treatments that only lift the elasticity have limits. You have to work on the sebum production itself, which is the cause.
Agnes (Agnes) uses fine insulated needles to deliver RF energy directly to the sebaceous glands, a way of managing pores where sebum had been over-producing.
We sometimes also pair it with a skin booster type that places toxin shallowly in the upper dermis to refine sebum and texture together.
Even within the same 'pore treatment', when sebum is the cause the direction changes like this.
Second, 'Elasticity-Type' Pores Mean Refilling the Collagen
With age, the collagen that had been supporting the pores' rim decreases, and the pores start to change into a droplet shape, sagging downward.
This isn't an oil problem but a problem of the 'supporting force' weakening.
Potenza (Potenza) is a microneedle RF device that inserts fine needles deep into the dermis and then runs radiofrequency from their tips to stimulate collagen regeneration.
As DA's explanation puts it, Potenza is on the side of building the collagen back up, while Agnes is on the side of acting on the sebaceous glands, so the two treatments target different causes.
So for pores caused by a drop in elasticity, a regeneration type like Potenza is often the better fit. (There is, of course, individual variation)
Third, 'Scar-Type' Pores Mean Looking at the Depth Together
After a severe bout of acne, it's not simply that the pores widened — scars that pit in and look like pores can be left behind.
Shallowly pitted scars can be refined in texture with a fractional laser or microneedle RF.
That said, deeply pitted scars honestly have limits with the laser alone. The non-ablative fractional laser reaches a depth of roughly 1.5–2.5mm, so for scars deeper than that, it can't reach the bottom.
So deep scars sometimes need a combined approach — first releasing the fibrous tissue underneath with subcision, then filling the empty space with a regeneration material like Juvelook.
The scar type is hard to pin down as 'a few rounds of laser', and we think it's right to explain this together while diagnosing.
Honestly, You Can't Completely 'Get Rid Of' Pores
Let me say this honestly first. Pores are the passage through which skin breathes and releases oil, so there's no treatment that makes them disappear completely.
It's similar to how you can't return a once-stretched stocking run to like-new. Tightening it as snugly as possible to tidy it up is the realistic goal.
On top of that, pores don't finish in a single round. It's usually a way of building up around 3–5 sessions split at intervals of 4–6 weeks, adjusting at each session while watching the response.
So we guide pores not as 'something to get rid of in one go' but as 'a concept of steady, ongoing management'. Starting out knowing this will put your mind more at ease.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Do pores disappear completely?
A. There's no treatment that can make pores disappear completely. Because they're the passage through which skin releases oil and breathes, the realistic goal is to tighten and tidy the stretched opening as snugly as possible, rather than getting rid of it. It's similar to how it's hard to return a once-stretched stocking run to like-new, but you can pull the unraveled part back and tidy up the shape. So rather than a treatment that finishes in one go, think of it as closer to management — building up sessions to match the cause and refining the texture along the way. Do keep in mind that the degree of improvement differs from person to person.
Q. What's the difference between Potenza and Agnes?
A. These two pore-treatment devices target different causes. Potenza inserts fine needles deep into the dermis and delivers radiofrequency to stimulate collagen regeneration, so it's mainly used for pores that have stretched and sagged from a drop in elasticity, or for acne scars. Agnes acts directly on the sebaceous glands with fine insulated needles, on the side of managing sebum-type pores that opened because too much oil was coming out. So rather than which is better, the device that suits is divided according to why your pores widened. Confirming the main cause first through diagnosis, then choosing, is the order.
Q. Can I go back to daily life right after the treatment?
A. With pore treatments, daily life is mostly possible from the day of the treatment or the next day. RF treatments that use fine needles, like Potenza or Agnes, may show small pinpoint bleeding or redness right after, but it usually settles within 1–3 days, after which you can cover it with makeup. That said, during the few days of recovery, doing UV protection thoroughly and keeping your base routine moisture-focused rather than with irritating active ingredients helps the result. Activities that apply a lot of heat, like saunas or intense exercise, are safer to postpone for a few days.
In Closing
If I sum up today's content in one line, it's this.
With pores, 'why they widened' comes before 'which treatment', and it's a concept of steady, ongoing management rather than getting rid of them.
This isn't an article recommending a treatment, but an informational article we've put together for your reference while preparing to open.
DA Clinic Myeongdong is set to open soon. We'll share news of our opening and treatment information first on our blog and Instagram ^^
Thank you for reading to the end. This was Director Kwon Si-jin & Yoon Ju-hyun at DA Clinic Myeongdong.
This column is an informational article intended to provide general medical information; the effects and side effects of treatments may vary by individual. DA Clinic Myeongdong is set to open soon. (Medical Service Act Art. 56)