If you're switching skincare products, you'll be wondering how long it takes to see results
It can be frustrating when you’re excited to try a new skin-care range but it doesn’t live up to the hype right away. However, as they say, good things come to those who wait since a new routine takes some time to produce results. So how long should you give a new range or skin routine a go before you see results?
It depends on the skin issues you’re looking to treat!
Cell turnover is the term used to describe the constant shedding of dead skin cells and subsequent replacement with younger cells.
How Cell Turnover Works
The skin naturally sheds dead skin cells through a process called desquamation every 28-40 days, on average, a new skin cell is "born" in the stratum germinativum, the deepest layer of the epidermis. The cell travels up through the epidermis until it reaches the uppermost layer of the skin, the stratum corneum.
Once the cell reaches this layer, it is rough, dry, and flaky — what we consider a "dead" skin cell. Ideally, new skin cells continue to arrive at the skin's surface, pushing older cells off from beneath.
As we age, our cell turnover rate slows down. That's why our skin never looks quite as "bright" as it did when we were younger. So it is recommended that we give a new skin care routine at least 30 days before we can see the true results and benefits.
Let’s consider the skin issues you’re looking to treat!
As a rule of thumb, the more work that needs to be done on a cellular level, the longer it’ll take to see the difference. Some things should work quickly: Moisturiser, especially a serum or cream with hyaluronic acid, should smooth the skin pretty much instantly. Something meant to treat acne or pigmentation, however, is going to take a little longer.
If you’re using a range with Vitamin C or Retinol, that means a change on a cellular level, so expect to wait at least three months to see a benefit.
It’s important to note that depending on what products/brand you were previously using, you may experience, tingling, slight redness, dry flaky patches or a breakout of pimples when switching to a new brand with active or ‘cleaner’ ingredients.
Your first instinct may be to immediately throw them out—but don’t!
This may be a sign that you’re actually experiencing an unusual, but ultimately beneficial skin purge, especially if your previous products contained petroleum based ingredients, like mineral oils, animal fats, glycerine, parabens, sodium lauryl sulfates, artificial fragrances and dyes and a whole host of undesirable toxins and chemicals found in cosmetics and skin care on supermarkets, stores and chemists shelves, these ingredients may have “clogged” your skin and disrupted the PH balance.
Once past this stage, chances are you’ll have better skin than ever. Simply put, skin purging is a worsening of your skin condition brought on by a change in your skincare regimen that’s causing an accelerated rate of exfoliation.
Certain products—primarily acne treatments, but also anti-aging products—require an adjustment period before they can provide the expected results. These products encourage a faster cell turnover rate, resulting in a faster pimple formation cycle.
Keep in mind that while a new product may cause your skin to purge, it may be worthwhile to wait out the breakout to determine if the product can deliver clear, flawless skin once your skin has adjusted to your new regimen. Approximately 30 days!
About the Author:
Carol Hazimarcu is a qualified Paramedical Skin Therapist with over 25 years’ experience in the industry. Carol taught Beauty therapy at a private college in Melbourne for 15 years and had her own salon business for 7 years.
Carol has been an Arbonne Independent Consultant for 6 years and her passion is to show others how to free themselves from the 9-5 grind or create a ‘side hustle’ to build a social commerce business that is global and mobile.