We all want to achieve soft, smooth, and glowing skin while spending minimal time, money, and effort to conquer our skincare goals. However, sometimes, even when you think that you have figured it all out and have found your perfect AM and PM skincare regimen, things can go wrong.
Even after applying all the high-end and widely raved products, you may notice your skin showing signs of dryness or inflammation that may manifest in the form of discoloration, sagging, flaking, dullness, or acne breakouts. If you see any of these symptoms despite doing everything for your skin, a few things might be behind it. Keep reading to learn why your skincare routine isn’t cutting it!
Not Being Consistent with Your Skincare Routine
You can gain the most out of your skincare routine and skincare products by staying consistent. A skincare regimen that follows all the steps of your skincare routine, such as cleansing, exfoliating, moisturizing, and protecting, can ensure you give your skincare products and routine enough time to yield your sought-after results.¹
Skipping or delaying certain steps can pave the way to various skin issues. Furthermore, a consistent skincare routine plays a preemptive role and keeps your skin in its top shape in the long run. By sticking to your skincare routine, you can save yourself from many skin woes, such as premature wrinkles, acne breakouts, fine lines, and inflammation.
Need More Time for Your Products to Show Results
You might find it intriguing to try innovative and trending skincare products that pop up on your social media newsfeed every other day. It’s understandable to feel tempted to try highly raved skincare products endorsed by your favorite celebrities, skincare experts, and beauty bloggers. However, giving up on your products too soon and switching to new products may be why you do not see the promised results.
Most skincare products require some time to show their intended outcome. Give your products enough time to take their effect and watch how your skin reacts. If your skin responds well to your skincare products without showing any adverse effects, give them more time to do their job.
Skincare Routine Needs to Change Based on the Weather
Although it’s imperative to have a regular skincare routine and allow your skincare products an ample amount of time to yield their effect, sometimes, the ideal thing you can do for your complexion is to make some changes to your skincare routine.
Following an inflexible skincare routine and using the same products across changing weathers may harm your skin more than do it any good. One reason your skincare routine isn’t working and your skin is showing symptoms of skin damage may be that your skin has stopped responding to your favorite cleanser or moisturizer during changing weather.
A product that does wonders for your skin during summer may cause dryness, redness, and itching during winter. Keep in mind that often the changes you’re seeing in your skin are caused by changes in temperature, humidity, and wind. For example, cold weather can make even oily skin feel and look scaly and dry, whereas hot weather can make dry skin act differently. So, don’t forget to update your skincare routine to meet your skin's changing needs.
You Are Using the Wrong Ingredients Together
The more, the merrier notion may not be beneficial when taking care of your skin because you might end up mixing the wrong ingredients, which can negatively affect your skin. There are plenty of skincare compounds that do not work well when used in combination.
Hydroxy acids, in particular, may not work well with other ingredients in your skincare products.² When used with retinoids, AHA or BHA's, it can reduce their effectiveness or make them inactive. Similarly, it’s recommended not to use these acids with benzoyl peroxide. All these ingredients are powerful, and layering them together on your skin may cause dryness, flaking, itching, and redness.
If you add such strong ingredients to your skincare routine simultaneously, use them on alternate days or split between using them during your AM and PM skincare routine.
You Are Overdoing Your Skincare Routine
While it’s important to follow your skincare routine consistently to keep your skin looking and feeling great, going overboard with it can end in skincare disasters that nobody wants. Overdoing your skincare routine can also lead to your skin acting up, as it can do more harm than good to your skin.
The ideal way to avoid getting carried away with all the skincare products you see online is to stick to a simple and basic skincare routine. Only add a handful of skincare products to your skincare routine that have actually proved to work the best for your skin. Avoid adding too many creams, serums, or lotions to your daily routine, and don’t change your products too often.
Your Skin Needs a Break
Smothering your skin with hydrating and nourishing creams, toners, exfoliating acids, and serums might seem quite satisfying and effective. Still, sometimes your skin needs to be left alone for a while. The procedure is commonly known as skin fasting in the skincare and beauty world. A skin fast involves taking some time, commonly a week or two, off from your regular skincare routine and just sticking to the basic 3-step skincare regimen, which includes cleansing, moisturizing, and sun protection.³
Sometimes, it’s significant that you take a break from your extensive skincare routine and analyze your skincare choices. Ensure you’ve got the basics right, before returning to your repairing, preventing, and correcting skincare products. A good skincare routine covers the basics of adequate cleansing, moisturizing, and protection for maintaining a healthy and glowing complexion. After establishing a routine, it will be easier for you to replace or switch products according to your skin’s changing requirements.
Your Skin Isn’t Absorbing Skincare Products
We all know that skincare ingredients need to get absorbed into the skin to work their magic. However, several reasons can prevent the active ingredients of your skincare products from penetrating your skin. When these compounds don’t enter deep enough into the skin, they may not do their work and produce the desired result.
Some factors that can reduce the skin's permeability include the buildup of dead skin cells, excess oil, grime, makeup residue, and other contaminants on the top layer of the skin, blocking the pores. These impurities form a barrier or film that interferes with the absorption of the ingredients in the superficial layer of the skin. Regular cleansing and exfoliation can be beneficial in kicking down the wall created by these impurities.
You Haven’t Seen a Dermatologist
Before you start experimenting with new products or make changes to your skincare routine, it’s recommended that you schedule a consultation with your dermatologist. The world of skincare products is vast, and you may get on the wrong path in search of the right skincare ingredients and products for your skin.
A skincare expert can ensure your experiments don’t turn into skincare nightmares. Consulting your dermatologist can help you find the best products to help you get real and anticipated results with minimal side effects. If you struggle with acne-prone skin or suffer from an inflammatory skin condition, it becomes even more crucial to see your dermatologist before trying new products. Moreover, your dermatologist can help you find out why your skincare routine isn’t working for you anymore and what changes you need to make.
Final Thoughts
There’s no denying that we all love and strive to keep our skin plump, healthy, and radiant. But sometimes, no matter what we do, nothing seems to work in favor of our skin. You may unsuspectingly be causing your skin to become dry, dehydrated, uneven, inflamed, and saggy by making some skincare mistake that may interfere with your skincare routine's efficacy and outcomes. As a result, you may need to reevaluate and readjust your skincare rituals and habits to reap the optimal benefits of your skincare products.
Citations:
- Kishneet, Kukreja. (2022). ’10 Effective Ways To Moisturize Your Skin Naturally, StyleCraze, Accessed January 4, 2023. Available at: https://www.stylecraze.com/articles/effective-home-remedies-for-moisturizing-skin/
- Bolognia, Jean L. MD. (2018). ‘Hydroxy Acids’, Science Direct, Accessed January 4, 2023. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/hydroxy-acids
- S. Brooklyn. (2022). ‘Everything You Need To Know About Skin Fasting’, Sundree. Accessed January 4, 2023. Available at: https://sundree.com/blogs/news/everything-you-need-to-know-about-skin- pe.
