I heard a client say 'I just want my pores to be gone' and it made me stop

I was at a local beauty supply store in Austin last Thursday and overheard a woman asking for a product to 'erase' her pores completely. The salesperson agreed and sold her a harsh toner. It hit me that we sometimes feed into this idea of perfect skin, which isn't real. How do you talk to clients about realistic skin goals without making them feel bad?