It may be time to switch up the skin care products you use on a regular basis.

If you’re using any products designed to clear excess sebum and acne, you could be working against yourself. Short-term use is fine, but they can actually irritate the skin with long-term use.

These products rely on active ingredients such as salicylic acid to remove the top layers of your skin. This produces a drying effect, leading your pores to look smaller. But if your skin becomes too dry, your sebaceous glands increase sebum production to replenish the lost moisture. This leads you back to oily skin.

To avoid this, only use the following products for a couple of weeks at a time:

• astringents
• deep-cleaning facial scrubs
• oil-based masks

Also, make sure that all your products are noncomedogenic. That means that they are water-based. Comedogenic, or oil-based, products are especially off-limits if you have oily skin. Too much oil can lead to large pores. Looking for more tips? Here’s a beginner’s guide to creating a skin care routine.

The best types of cleansers get rid of excess dirt and oil without completely stripping your skin of moisture. For large pores related to oily skin, look for a gel-based cleanser. Normal to dry skin can benefit from creamy cleansers.

No matter what skin type you have, avoid cleansers that contain soap or scrubbing agents. These can make pores look bigger.

But even the best cleansers won’t do you any good if they aren’t used properly. Be sure to:

1. Wet your face with warm water (not hot, not cold).
2. Massage the cleanser in circles around your entire face and neck for at least 30 to 60 seconds.
3. Rinse thoroughly and pat your skin dry (no rubbing!).

Repeat this process every morning and night to balance your skin and keep your pores in good health.

The American Academy of Dermatology recommends exfoliating just one to two times per week. Exfoliation helps get rid of excess flakes that can clog your pores without over-stripping your skin. If you’re currently having an acne breakout, skip your exfoliation session to avoid irritating your pimples.

If you can, opt for exfoliants with either alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs) or beta-hydroxy acids (BHAs). BHAs are also known as salicylic acids and should not be used if you’re allergic to aspirin. Although both ingredients can maximize your exfoliating benefits, BHAs can also penetrate deep into the pores to treat acne.

One of the most common mistakes people with oily skin make is to skip out on moisturizer for fear that it will add more oil to their face. Moisturizer is essential for all types of skin after cleansing — it helps to balance hydration. Without it, your skin could produce even more oil.

Clay masks can help remove oil, dirt, and dead skin deep inside your pores to make them look smaller. You can use these once or twice per week, but not on the same days that you exfoliate. Exfoliating and using a clay mask in the same day can be tough on your skin and increase your risk of irritation.

Sunscreen is a must-have for everyone, so don’t let oily skin hold you back. Sun damage not only increases your long-term risk of cancer and wrinkles, but it can also dry out your skin and make your pores look bigger.

Falling asleep with your makeup on is detrimental to your skin. When left on overnight, cosmetics can combine with dirt, oil, and bacteria left over from the day and clog up your pores. This can make them look larger the next day when you wake up.

That’s why it’s so important to wash your makeup off at night, no matter how tired you are or how late you get home. For added benefit, you can also use a makeup-removing product before cleansing, such as Dermalogica Pre-Cleanse.

Skin care woman putting face cream

In addition to using the right products, good, old-fashioned water can also benefit your pores and overall skin health. Specifically, water helps by:

• hydrating your skin internally
• removing toxins from your pores
• improving your overall complexion

A good rule of thumb is to aim for at least eight glasses of water or other liquids each day. If plain water isn’t your forte, try adding flavor with fresh fruits, such as lemon, cucumber, or berries.

9. Apple Cider Vinegar

One of the most popular, embraced and efficient home remedies for a very, very wide range of diseases, conditions and illnesses is apple cider vinegar. When it comes to solving skin problems, apple cider vinegar may well be at the top of the list. This super food has the power to balance your skins pH so you can keep your sebaceous glands in check, so it works great for both treating and preventing sebaceous hyperplasia. This remedy works by simply dissolving the overgrowths known as sebaceous hyperplasia and preventing them from appearing again. You can mix some apple cider vinegar with peppermint oil for a reliable tonic to fight off those embarrassing overgrowths. All you have to do is mix the two ingredients together, soak a cotton ball in the solution and gently dab the bumps on your face with it. Make sure to repeat this remedy until they completely disappear. If after a week you still see them there, consider making another visit to your doctor’s office to check.

10. Peppermint Essential Oil

Like we said in our first tip, peppermint oil is also an ingredient you can rely on for getting rid of sebaceous hyperplasia. This essential oil comes packed with antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties that will greatly aid you in your battle against sebaceous hyperplasia. Peppermint essential oil works by entering in your skin and getting rid of the oil in excess that is causing those overgrowths to develop. Thanks to its anti-inflammatory properties, peppermint oil works on getting enlarged glands back to normal sizes by cutting down their level of inflammation. If you prefer to use natural mint juice instead of peppermint oil for treating sebaceous hyperplasia, you can do so by directly applying it to the overgrowths while you sleep at night and washing it off in the morning. Alternatively, you can mix together a bit of mint juice and turmeric powder until you obtain a paste to apply on the sebaceous hyperplasia.

11. Lemon Oil

As far as oils are concerned, lemon is the second best choice on our list. Just like peppermint essential oil, it has powerful antiseptic properties, and it also acts as quite a decent astringent. If you take a few drops of lemon oil and put them directly on the area with sebaceous hyperplasia, your skin will be cleansed in a natural way. Moreover, the lemon oil will act by leveling out the oil that your skin produces so you can treat and prevent this condition. To top it all off, lemon actually helps moisturize your skin and reduce inflammation caused by sebaceous hyperplasia, so you should really consider it as a solution if you want to treat this problem in a natural way. Like in the case of peppermint, you can also use fresh lemon juice as an alternative for lemon oil. You benefit from the same awesome properties that lemon oil has and it might be more accessible for you.

12. Electrocautery

While electrocautery is not a home remedy, it still remains one of the best tips on how to get rid of sebaceous hyperplasia that is out there. Many individuals who have experienced sebaceous hyperplasia claim that they had tried all of the treatments in the world, but nothing worked until they came across electrocautery. In the process, they had spent as much as thousands of dollars on treatments that really had no lasting effect on their skin. In the 2^nd edition of the book Dermatology, published by Mosby Elsevier, the authors explain that “electrocautery also known as thermal cautery, refers to a process in which a direct or alternating current is passed through a resistant metal wire electrode, generating heat. The heated electrode is then applied to living tissue to achieve hemostasis or varying degrees of tissue destruction.” Some patients describe the preparation process for electrocautery to be extremely painful, with as much as ten shots of local anesthetic that can cause excruciating pain due to the depth and intensity of the process. After allowing the anesthetic to work for about half an hour, the specialist will proceed by burning off the overgrowths for around fifteen to twenty minutes. Amazingly enough, it is said that after just two days you can see astonishing improvement, with up to 100% removal.