If you’ve got big goals for your skin you need to understand that consistency with skincare is more important than ad hoc treatments. The patients I see in clinic who have the best results and the most transformation in their skin, are the ones who also invest in the right skincare products and use them consistently alongside their treatments.
Let’s look at why consistency with skincare matters so much and what it’s really doing for your skin.
Why you need to stick to a routine
Consistency is key when it comes to skincare products because their effect is cumulative. Meaning it adds up the longer you use it and becomes most effective after regular use. This is not to say you should be putting your products on throughout the day but regular use, as advised, is the only way you’ll get the best from your products.
Because skin cell turnover takes time, we need to give our skin time to adjust to new products and to really start to see the benefits promised by your products. As a general guide, you can expect to notice improvements after the following amounts of time, IF you use your products consistently, as advised in the clinic:
- Hydration improvements – within days to a few weeks
- Acne improvements – at least several weeks
- Pigmentation improvements – a few months
All results vary patient to patient and no results are guaranteed.
Why you should avoid product hopping
Product hopping is when you constantly switch between products, jumping on the latest trend, a new product on offer etc. These are the main risks of product hopping:
- You overload the skin with too many active ingredients
- The skin becomes overwhelmed, resulting in breakouts, irritation or sensitivity
- You don’t know which products are working and which aren’t
- Products don’t give instant results, so you’ll never get the best results if you don’t use the product for a prolonged period
Product hopping isn’t the same as switching a couple of your products out seasonally. For example, in winter you may wish to change to a more deeply nourishing and hydrating moisturiser – whereas in summer you may have been using a lighter one.
Long term skin results
When you stay consistent with your skincare and have tailored treatments in the clinic, you are building healthier, more balanced skin for the longer term.
When dipping in and out treatments you’re never going to see the best results, and the same goes for skincare.
To really get the best long-term results from the skin treatments you have at the clinic, you need to be using your skincare in between.
For specific skin conditions, such as pigmentation, prevention is a huge part of the process of reducing the signs on your skin. Whilst we can help to reduce pigmentation through laser and / or chemical peels, preventing further skin damage is vital to long term results. Otherwise as soon as we start to clear the build-up, more will appear.
Skin treatments absolutely have their place in achieving your goals and without them, it would be incredibly hard to achieve the results I have for my patients, but daily skincare habits can make the world of difference.
If you’d like to book in for a skin consultation and have your skin analysed in the clinic, please click here for my current availability.
