Are You Treating Your Pores the Right Way? From Blackheads to Sebaceous Filaments, Extractions and More: We Ask a Derm to Decode

Breaking Beauty Podcast

Dear Media, Jill Dunn and Carlene Higgins

Jilldunn, Arts, Beautyeditors, Style541811, Beautyexpert, Beauty, Carlenehiggins, Fashion, Society & Culture, Magazineeditors, Fashion & Beauty

4.7 • 954 Ratings

🗓️ 7 November 2025

⏱️ 42 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

If you’ve ever felt like your blackheads have permanently landed, or that your pores are starting to sag, today’s episode is for you. This uninterrupted bonus conversation is brought to you in partnership with our friends at Curology and we're diving deep into the most common pore mysteries with Dr. Whitney Tolpinrud, MD, FAAD, Board Certified Dermatologist and Medical Director at Curology.

Listen in as Dr. Tolpinrud debunks the myth of "shrinking" your pores, and reveals the true causes of clogging—from hormones and comedogenic ingredients to invisible micro dust pollution.

You’ll learn:

Pore size & aging: Why your pores appear to sag as your collagen breaks down.
Sebaceous filaments vs. blackheads: How to figure out what you’re dealing with before you treat.
What’s in her doctor’s bag: How Dr. Tolpinrud chooses the right prescription-strength ingredients to treat breakouts and improve skin texture for varying skin types.
Myth-busted rituals: Does dunking your face in ice water or using a steamer really "open or close" your pores? Plus, are extractions a do or a don’t, according to the derm?
Introducing Curology Day Prime Rx, the first-ever prescription acne treatment that doubles as a blurring, shine-reducing primer—customizable to treat acne, dark spots, or even rosacea!

For any products or links mentioned in this episode, check out our website: https://breakingbeautypodcast.com/episode-recaps/

When you support our sponsors, you support the creation of Breaking Beauty Podcast!

Curology

Curology, the pioneer of personalized prescription skincare, is our exclusive show partner for this episode. They have treated over 5.5 million patients across the USA.

Curology is giving Breaking Beauty listeners a special link to try DayPrimeRx - the first-ever prescription acne treatment and primer - for FREE when you subscribe, just pay $5.45 shipping and handling!

To claim this offer, go to curology.com/beauty to take Curology’s skin quiz! In just a few minutes, you’ll share your current skin concerns and a few photos with a Curology dermatology provider who will create a personalized treatment plan tailored to your unique skin goals. This will include DayPrimeRx if it’s right for your unique skin! Restrictions apply. See website for full details and important safety information.

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*Disclaimer: Unless otherwise stated, all products reviewed are gratis media samples submitted for editorial consideration.*

Hosts: Carlene Higgins and Jill Dunn

Theme song, used with permission: Cherry Bomb by Saya 

Produced by Dear Media Studio

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Transcript

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0:00.0	The following podcast is a dear media production.
0:08.1	Welcome to Breaking Beauty, the podcast all about the breakthrough people, products, and moments in beauty.
0:14.0	We're your host, Jill Dunn and Carleen Higgins.
0:25.9	Hello, hello, Breaking Beauty Pod fam. I'm one of your co-hosts, Jill Dunn and I'm here alongside my podwife for life, Carleen Higgins. Hey Jill, and happy Friday, everyone. We're two
0:32.3	longtime magazine beauty editors turned beauty podcasters, sharing the breakthrough people, products, and moments
0:38.5	in beauty every single week. And in some cases, we're doubling the fun with two episodes like we are today.
0:45.6	So this Friday, we're sharing a juicy skincare episode on a topic that I know I personally,
0:51.1	Carleen, can't get enough of, even all these years later of being a beauty
0:55.1	editor. I still have questions. And we are actually myth-busting everything we thought we knew about
1:01.2	pores. And Carleen, by the way, did you know that we have about 20,000 pores on our face alone?
1:09.1	I did not know that, but I sometimes I feel like I can count them because
1:13.3	that's how perceptible they are when I look in the mirrors. So I would say yes, I probably have
1:18.4	20,000. And this very special uninterrupted bonus episode is brought to you in partnership with
1:24.6	our friends at Curology, who are the pioneers of personalized
1:27.9	prescription skincare. They've treated over 5.5 million people across the U.S. And we are welcoming
1:35.0	board certified dermatologist and medical director at Curology, Dr. Whitney Tolpenrood.
1:41.9	Yes, Dr. Tulpenrood earned her medical degree from Yale and completed her
1:46.9	dermatology residency at Columbia University, and you might recognize her as an expert voice in the pages
1:53.3	of Vogue, Glamour and Allure. And in today's episode, we're going to tap Dr. Tolpenrood's expertise
2:00.0	on everything to do with
2:01.5	pores and getting your skin texture on point. This is something near and dear to my heart,
2:06.4	like I've said. So we're going to ask her about things like, what causes our pores to clog
	...

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