We are living in an era of instant gratification, where we want things now, sometimes jumping in with both feet and expecting quick results. But when it comes to our skin, any product or routine changes we make require patience to fully reap the benefits.
SKINCARE IS MORE THAN JUST THE PRODUCTS
Skincare is more than just the products we apply – it’s all of the other external factors too, some within our control and some not. We need to adapt our lifestyle and our skincare products as necessary throughout our lives – in response to hormonal changes, seasonal changes, environmental factors, any skin concerns and the natural ageing process – however, any changes need to be introduced slowly. It’s incredibly important not to change everything at once. By completely changing all of your products and/or lifestyle all in one go, it’s harder to identify which are ineffective or may be causing sensitivity, dryness or breakouts.
USE NEW SKINCARE CONSISTENTLY FOR THREE MONTHS
Particularly when it comes to skincare, our skin needs to get used to them so swap one product out at a time. Always start with a patch test and then use the product consistently for 3 months before making an assessment (unless you experience a reaction, in which case you should stop using it straight away). We advise this primarily as skin cell renewal takes place approximately every 28 days, however, this process slows down over time, eventually taking up to 84 days when we reach 50+. By using for three months, there will have been up to 3 cycles of the skin’s natural regeneration process during that time, allowing you to observe and review how well the new product has worked, whilst factoring any lifestyle changes that may have taken place over that time, essentially seeing the average cumulative effect of the product. Remember, cell renewal also takes place each night so small changes may be noticeable before this point.
BEFORE GIVING UP CHECK FOR THESE
Before giving up using your skincare product, review what else you have changed in your routine and lifestyle to see how this has impacted your skin. For example, stress and hormones both play a big part in how our skin feels and acts, so this may affect the efficacy. Any hormonal changes can result in the skin becoming oily, dull, dry or irritated. Hormones, particularly oestrogen, plays a crucial role in skin health (increases collagen production, skin thickness, hydration and wound healing) but sometimes can cause problems during times of puberty, pregnancy, menopause or hormonal imbalance due to levels being too high or too low.
When stressed, the body produces more of the hormone, cortisol, which triggers our sebaceous glands to release excessive oil which can clog pores and lead to breakouts (which we often immediately associate with the products we’ve used). Our immune system becomes weaker which can affect the skin, resulting in skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis. Sleep deprivation, also commonly caused by stress, can also leave us with puffy eyes or dark circles.
Finally, it’s also important to bear in mind the shelf life of the products you are using and storing them correctly, to make sure you’re getting the best from them and not adding expired or oxidised products to your skin.
Try to be patient and don’t get discouraged if you don’t see immediate results. Consistency, care and attention are key.
You might also like to read:
Healthy Skin Regeneration – When, Why, How
Could Your Dry Skin Be Caused By Hormonal Changes?
Nourishment Tips In Times Of Stress
ARE YOU USING NEW SKINCARE FOR LONG ENOUGH BEFORE GIVING UP?
We’d love for you to tell us in a comment below!
