I was asked a really interesting question during my web chat a while ago – how long does it usually take to see results from a skincare product?
Unfortunately, there’s not a one-size-fits-all answer to this, so I thought I’d dig a little deeper.
Our fast-paced culture demands quick results, so when something doesn’t have an immediate effect we’re often tempted to move on – I’m as much of a culprit of this as the next person!
This impatience can mean that we don’t give products enough time to work and end up chopping and changing our products in the hope that something will.
Flitting from product to product is never a good idea for sensitive skins as it disrupts the delicate oil and pH levels, leaving the skin imbalanced and prone to reaction.
Results time?
‘Results’ time obviously varies from product to product, but as a general rule I’d allow around four weeks to give a product a real chance to shine, as this is the average time it takes for skin cells to turnover.
Some products can have much faster and more visible results than others – Cleanser for example.
If you’re switching from a foaming, detergent-based cleanser to a Cream Cleanser, you should see a pretty quick improvement, as the skin will be able to rebalance its oil and pH levels as soon as your stop using skin-stripping detergents.
Sometimes changes can happen so gradually it can be hard to notice them.
If you really want to see a ‘before’ and ‘after’ style change, I’d recommend taking a quick snap of your skin in natural light when you begin using the product and then again around two – three weeks in.
Things aren’t looking good…
If a product isn’t right for your skin, you should realise fairly quickly, or at most after a day or two.
Inflamed, itchy or irritated skin is never a normal reaction to a product, whatever people may say!
Everyone’s skin is completely different, so what works for one person may not for another – listen to your skin’s needs and in time you should find the right product or product combination for you.
If you need any advice on putting together a tailored skincare regime then drop my team of sensitive skin experts an email on: support@paiskincare.com
Receive other tips & news like it…