Pore-Reducing Treatments: What Works? A Comparison of 1,892 Reviews

Key Summary

Gangnam Unni and Babitalk have compiled 1,892 reviews of treatments for pores. The treatment with the best effect was fractional laser (positive reviews 92%), followed by Juvelook, high-frequency equipment, and Rejuran (91%), while Aqua Peel (67%) had the lowest results, and Juvelook was the most recommended treatment based on reviews.

1. In order of effectiveness: Fractional laser 92% (93 cases), Juvelook 91% (92 cases), high frequency equipment 91% (104 cases), Rejuran 91% (76 cases), skin Botox 85% (94 cases), Potenza 83% (289 cases), Aqua Peel 67% (51 cases). The percentage of reviews that said their pores were smaller was 97% for fractional laser, 96% for Juvelook, 95% for Rejuran, 92% for skin Botox, 90% for Potenza, and 83% for Aqua Peel.
2. Depends on the condition of the pores. Aqua Peel received the most reviews with 107 reviews regarding sebum concerns, but the positive-review rate was low at 65%. Reviews regarding elasticity concerns reported Potenza received the most with 97 reviews, with 91% saying they liked it.
3. The greater the number of procedures received, the higher the positive-review rate. One procedure was 86% (593 cases), two procedures was 90% (256 cases), and three or more procedures was 95% (38 cases).

Of the 894 reviews that wrote about the effect, 87% said it was good, but 99% of the 600 reviews that wrote about the timing were written within one month after the procedure, so it is impossible to know from the reviews how long the pores last.

Why do pores look wide and do they shrink with treatment?

Research explains three reasons why pores appear enlarged: increased sebum secretion, decreased elasticity around the pores, and increased hair follicle volume. If the causes are different, treatment should be tailored to the individual. This is a literature review from 2016, and it states that enlarged pores are not a medical problem but a cosmetic concern.

In the reviews, the 546 cases that directly wrote about the condition of pores were 244 cases of sebum (shininess, blackheads), 260 cases of loss of elasticity, 37 cases of a mixture of the two, and 5 cases of pores scars. This article omits reviews focusing on scars, so please refer to the article on scars for pitted acne scars.

There were 454 reviews that said the pores had become smaller, and 31 reviews that said there was no change. In the review, the areas where pores occurred were 318 cheeks, 280 noses, 20 foreheads, and 7 chins.

Which treatments are most often mentioned in pore-treatment reviews?

Potenza had the most with 743 cases, followed by laser and light therapy with 270 cases, Juvelook with 237 cases, skin Botox with 228 cases, and Rejuran with 198 cases. This is based on 1,884 reviews with the name of the procedure, and if there are multiple procedures in one review, they are counted individually.

The number of reviews for each procedure is not the actual usage rate as reviews are collected using search terms. Due to the repeated reviews of the same hospital, equipment such as Affirm, Neobeam, and BBL were widely used in “other laser and light treatments.”

Does treatment differ by pore condition?

Yes, Aqua Peel received the most reviews for concerns about sebum, and Potenza received the most reviews for concerns about elasticity. Based on 546 reviews directly describing the condition of pores.

In the 280 nose pores reviews, there were 91 Potenza, 65 other lasers, 38 fractional lasers, and 35 Juvelook cases, and in the 318 cheek pores reviews, there were 117 Potenza cases, 62 other lasers, 45 Juvelook cases, and 43 skin Botox cases. The positive-review rate for both areas was 90%.

What results did reviewers report for each pore treatment?

The treatment with the best effect in the reviews was fractional laser at 92%, followed by Juvelook, high-frequency equipment, and Rejuran at 91%, Potenza at 83%, and Aqua Peel at 67%. Of the 894 reviews that wrote about the effectiveness, 87% said it was good, 8% said it was average, and 5% said it was ineffective.

Even when divided by pores status, the order was similar. We only listed procedures that had more than 11 effective reviews.

Other laser and light treatments were good in 95% of the 202 cases, but because the names of the equipment were different, they were excluded from the ranking. Please note that treatments with less than 30 reviews (24 picofractional lasers) are for reference only.

Reviews that said pores became smaller were 132 out of 146 for Potenza, 48 out of 50 for Juvelook, 49 out of 53 for Skin Botox, and 10 out of 12 for Aqua Peel.

How many pore-treatment sessions are commonly reported, and at what intervals?

The average of 431 reviews with frequency was 2.6, and the average of 72 reviews with interval was 5.0 weeks.

The average interval was 8.2 weeks (10 cases) for Skin Botox, 4.4 weeks (43 cases) for Potenza, and 4.1 weeks (11 cases) for Juvelook. There were only 7 reviews that received seven or more sessions, so the rate is not shown. The 2023 review, which compiled 19 studies, also reported that the size and number of pores were further reduced when multiple methods were used or when multiple methods were used in parallel.

How painful are pore treatments?

Reviews saying it was quite painful were high at 46% for Skin Botox and 26% for Potenza, while other lasers were low at 6%. Based on 730 reviews about the level of pain, 38% said it was barely painful, 39% said it was bearable, and 23% said it was quite painful.

The anesthesia was mostly topical anesthetic cream (223 cases), 35 cases were sedation, and 15 cases were local anesthesia.

How long can redness and scabbing last after pore treatment?

The average time for redness to subside was 1.5 days (142 cases), and there were 23 reviews that the fractional laser scabs fell off after an average of 6.5 days.

It took 6.5 days for the fractional laser (23 cases) and 5.3 days for other lasers (24 cases) for the scabs to fall off. There were many procedures with less than 14 reviews because the average could fluctuate.

What inconveniences were reported after pore treatment?

Among the 1,892 reviews, the most common complaints were pain (154) (8.1%) and redness (137) (7.2%).

There were 45 reviews (2.4%) that said they regretted it or did not recommend it. There were many bruises in 14 cases of Juvelook and 14 cases of skin Botox.

How much do pore treatments cost?

The average publicly listed clinic price per session was about 269,000 won for Potenza and about 185,000 won for skin Botox, and the average price per time written in reviews of only one treatment was about 35,000 won for Aqua Peel, about 185,000 won for Potenza, and about 221,000 won for Juvelook.

This is the average of prices on the official websites of 21 Gangnam clinics converted to include VAT. For procedures with fewer than 3 clinics and procedures that cannot be compared because the capacity (1cc, 2cc, 4cc) varies between clinics, such as Juvelook, the average was not calculated. Please note that skin Botox varies depending on the area and product at each clinic. Monthly events, first visit prices, Kakao channel exclusive prices, and bundled treatments have been excluded.

The review price is the payment amount written on the platform, so it is mixed with the event price, and the value-added tax notation, management included, and capacity are different for each clinic, so it is lower than the hospital's published price. There are only 17 reviews for fractional laser, so please take note.

How do I manage pores at home?

A 2023 article in Health Chosun explains that you should wash your face twice a day with lukewarm water, do not squeeze sebum with your hands, and keep your skin hydrated to prevent it from drying out. A 2016 literature review also concluded that skin care habits, along with chronic recurrent acne and sex hormones, affect the size of pores.

1. Face washing: The article explains that if your skin feels tight or tight after washing your face, you have washed it incorrectly, and if it is dry, sebum secretion may increase to retain moisture.
2. Extrusion: It is said that squeezing blackheads by hand or rubbing them vigorously can damage the tissue around the pores, causing them to grow larger.
3. Limitations: The same article explains that it is difficult to completely restore pores once they have expanded. 99% of the 600 reviews were written within 1 month after the procedure, so it is unknown whether they will be maintained.

How did studies compare pore treatments?

In a 2023 review of 591 patients from 19 clinical trials, the size and number of pores were further reduced when multiple methods were used in parallel, and the common side effects were mild burning and redness.

1. Review of 19 clinical trials (2023): It was summarized that young patients should focus on sebum control, and older patients should focus on skin rejuvenation treatment along with sebum control.
2. Fractional CO2 vs. Q switch Nd:YAG 80 people (2021): When performed three times at one-month intervals, pores were improved for both methods, and the response of fractional CO2 was higher and lasted longer. Downtime was less with Nd:YAG.
3. Botox intradermal injection for 20 people (2021): In a small trial comparing half of the face, the improvement in sebum and pores scores on the Botox side was maintained even after 4 months.
4. Botox and hyaluronic acid combined (32 patients, 2025): At 24-week follow-up, pores volume was reduced in both cases, and Botox alone was slightly better.

We could not find any studies that directly compared Potenza, Juvelook, and Aqua Peel, which are the most frequently mentioned treatments in the reviews, so the studies and reviews cover different procedures.

Which treatment was most often recommended in pore-treatment reviews?

The most recommended treatment based on reviews is Juvelook. Among treatments with more than 90 reviews of effectiveness, the positive-review rate was high at 91%, 13% said it was quite painful, and redness was low and short, averaging 0.8 days.

1. Juvelook is ranked 1st. The positive-review rate is 91% (92 cases), 48 out of 50 reviews say that the pores have become smaller, 13% say that it is quite painful, and the average redness is 0.8 days (17 cases). It received the second most reviews after Potenza regarding concerns about loss of elasticity (43 reviews), with an average of 2.5 reviews and a cost of approximately 221,000 won. There were 14 reviews with bruises.
2. Second place is fractional laser. The positive-review rate was the highest at 92% (93 cases), but 20% of the reviews said it was quite painful, and the scabs fall off after 6.5 days on average, so recovery is long. In the 2021 comparative test, the pores response of fractional CO2 was higher and maintained for a longer period of time.
3. Potenza has the most reviews (289 effective), but the positive-review rate was 83%, and 26% said it was quite painful. The review amount is about 185,000 won, and the average publicly listed clinic price is about 269,000 won. There were 132 out of 146 reviews that said the pores had become smaller.
4. Aqua Peel is the cheapest (approximately 35,000 won), but had the lowest positive-review rate at 67%. It is the treatment that received the most reviews regarding sebum concerns, so it is best to understand that it is for management purposes, not a procedure.

There are other treatments that have positive reviews. High-frequency equipment (Rituo, Secret, etc.) is 91% (104 cases), Rejuran and Skin Booster are 91% (76 cases), and skin Botox is 85% (94 cases). High-frequency equipment has different names, so it was removed from the first place.

Although 87% of the reviews that wrote about the effects said they were good, most of them were written immediately after the procedure, and this ranking is based on reviews and not medical superiority or inferiority. The treatment you received differed depending on whether the pores were sebum or reduced elasticity, so please check the cause, frequency, pain, and price conditions during the consultation.

What should I ask during a pore-treatment consultation?

Please start by asking whether my pores are due to sebum or loss of elasticity. This is because in the reviews, the treatment I received differed depending on the condition of the pores.

How DermaFocus compares clinics offering pore treatments

The recommendation guide applies the same four criteria to all clinics.

The number of reviews and specialist qualifications are not used as scores to guarantee treatment results. The role of a recommendation guide is to display confirmed facts side by side using the same standards.

How this article was checked

The DermaFocus editorial team organized the reviews and research papers, and they were not supervised by medical professionals.

• Reviews: Among the reviews that mentioned pores in Gangnam Unni and Babitalk, we classified 3,000 (as of October 5, 2026) randomly selected from 7,057 reviews that had pores at the beginning of the article and did not have the word scar. Among them, 1,892 cases whose purpose is pores are the subject of this article.
• Analysis criteria: The treatment rate is based on 1,884 cases using the procedure name, the effectiveness rate is based on 894 cases using the effect, the degree of pain is based on 730 cases, and the number of cases is 431 cases.
• Study: This is 5 studies on pores from PubMed. There is 1 literature review on the causes of pores, 1 review of 19 treatment options, 1 comparative laser trial, and 2 Botox trials. Only the abstracts were checked.
• Price: This is the official website price of 21 Gangnam clinics as of October 5, 2026. Only the procedures with more than 3 locations and comparable procedures were averaged.
• Limitations: 99% of reviews were written within 1 month after the procedure. The reviews were collected by procedure name and pores search term, so the number of cases for each procedure is not the utilization rate, and there are only 546 reviews that use the pores condition.
• Personal Information: The original text of the review, the author, and the name of the clinic are not included.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources and verification dates

1. Lee SJ et al. Definition, causes, treatment options of facial pores, Dermatol Surg 2016 (PMID 26918966)(confirmed 2026-10-05): 3 causes of enlarged pores (sebum, loss of elasticity, hair follicle volume)
2. 2023 J Cosmet Dermatol. Review of the effectiveness and side effects of facial pores treatment options (PMID 36440737)(confirmed 2026-10-05): 19 clinical trials, 591 people, combination and repetition are effective, mild burning and redness
3. 2021 J Cosmet Dermatol. Fractional CO2 laser vs. carbon-assisted Q-switch Nd:YAG (PMID 34169628)(confirmed 2026-10-05): 80 people, 3 times once a month, fractional CO2 response is higher and lasts longer
4. 2021 J Dermatolog Treat. Botox intradermal injection pores and sebum half face test (PMID 31865815)(confirmed 2026-10-05): 20 patients, improvement maintained after 4 months
5. 2025 Toxins. Botox and hyaluronic acid combined pores treatment half-face trial (PMID 39852991)(validated 2026-10-05): 32 patients, 24-week follow-up, slightly better than botox alone
6. Publicly listed clinic prices (confirmed on 2026-10-05): Official website of 21 Gangnam clinics, one-time price per procedure, converted to VAT included, clinic name not included
7. Health Chosun. The pores have become wider in the summer. Tighten them like this (2023-07-26)(Confirmed on 2026-10-05): Wash your face with lukewarm water twice a day, do not squeeze with hands, maintain moisture, once the pores have expanded, Difficult to completely reverse
8. Gangnam Unni review and Babitalk review (platform review, confirmed on 2026-10-05): Based on sample classification of 3,000 pores reviews. The original text of the review is not included.