Excuse all spelling errors. There are many.
I was just about to post something along these lines here. Is there anything to really do the job long term?
I think the only way to shrink the pores is to go and suck the gunk out in some way. Then your pores will look so much better - but the gunk always returns. I would like some sort of magical gunk preventer.
I remember when I was 20 or so, my college friend's mother came to visit and my friend had some sort of Nutragena lotion that was supposed to get rid of blackheads. My friend's mother was like, "Yeah, sure." Which kind of leads me to suspect that it is not unusual to spend 20-30 years searching for the holy grail of pore de-gunkers.
I will tell you what I have had SOME success with.
I really like the AcneFree system's face wash. I hate the system itself - I don't know what it up with their repair lotion. But I like the wash and it is CHEAP(ish) - something like 6 or 7 bucks for an 8oz bottle at Target which is good for a product that works. The only problem I have with it is it is not scrubby enough - I find it works best if I use it with a washcloth at the sink. I think this does a good job of exfoliating and killing off bacteria. If I ever have a nasty break out and begin using this stuff, my skin calms down very quickly.
Masks (or masques) work wonders, IMO. Queen Helene's Mint Julep has been the go-to product for clearing up blackheads for over 60 years! I think it's the stereotypical green mask you always seen women wearing on TV. I have used it and I think it worked well. I don't know if it is REALLY the best of the best - I think that most masks have 2 main ingredients in common and these are the ones that do the dirty work. Kaolin and bentonite. These are clays and clay absorbs oil so basically a mask will suck the oil out of your pores and this will make them look smaller for a while.
Right now after a long period of not caring too much about my face (which means it's pretty scarey with pimples just now) I have begun using the AcneFree wash and a mask I bought when my son was born. It's phisoderm and has salycillic acid in it as well as clay and I swear it makes a HUGE difference after one use - but UGH! It has been discontinued.
Nutragena has 2 masks for acne/pore cleaning - one has benzoil peroxide and the other has salicylic acid. Actually both claim to be mask and scrub but I think the mask/scrubs work best as masks. I plan to try one of these, or the mint julep perhaps, when my phisoderm wears out. I want to see if the clay is what matters or if the other stuff makes a big difference, too. (Queen Helene MJ also has sulphur which is good for acne)
Summary thus far - AcneFree wash, and a mask!
Now you can also get those Biore pore strips which are amazing when they work and a let down when they don't. I find the way to make them work better is wash - mask - hot shower - apply right away to wet skin. It's like the wash and the mask clear some surface goo and help them adhere to the pore goo better. (Of course these are all strictly medical terms I am using here...
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And THEN when your face is good and clean you may feel you need a moisturizer and here is where things can get sticky. So many which claim not to clog pores DO clog pores.
Two I have found that I LOVE are Clinique's dramatically different moisture gel and Nutragena's healthy skin anti-wrinkle NIGHT cream. Both run about $12-$14 a tube, I think, which seems high-ish but they last forever because you need so little. The anti-wrinkle day cream has sun block and I find sunblock breaks me out hence my night version suggestion. The anti-wrinkle cream makes my skin softer and nicer and clearer than any other product BUT has retinol in it so shouldn't be used if pregnant or trying to be. So alas I am using Clinique now and running low and considering trying Nutragena's oil free moisture with salycillic acid when it is gone. A little extra something to keep pores de-gooped.
For all that, I think the mask is what is key. I asked at the clinique counter what I can do for my pores and they said use their 3 step system which is a chemical exfoliant, etc - but I don't think it is enough to exfoliate, chemically or with something scrubby. The theory is exfoliating will increase cell turnover which will decrease clogging, but I think you need to suck the gunk out, too. Mask or mask and pore strips, a few times a week. A moisturizer that won't aggrivate the problem.
I keep hoping for a soap or lotion that will eliminate the need for masks or pore strips but I don't think it exists. *sigh*
Shrinking Pores? 
