Why does it take so long to see benefits from a new skin care routine?

Although many skin care ads claim that your skin will improve immediately or in 1-3 days, benefits from a new skin care routine usually take longer. It can take 12- 16 weeks or more to see benefits from a new skin care routine. How long it takes for the skin to change depends upon what skin concerns you are treating, what products you are using and how consistent you are with your new skin care routine.

This blog will discuss when you will see skin changes from a new skin care routine, how long to wait to switch products if skin isn’t improving, and how to know if your skin routine is working.

So- how long should you give a new skin care routine? At least 12 weeks.

Why does it take so long to see benefits from a new skin care routine?

Skin routine benefits are faster with a customized routine

Every product step in your skin care routine needs to be optimized so that all of the products will work faster with fewer side effects. How long each product takes to work depends upon what other products are layered together in the routine.

We have figured all of this out for you. Once you take the skin type quiz we give you the exact optimized regimen steps that have been customized for you.

You can find your regimen steps here.

You can find your skin type test results here.

Keep reading to see how long it takes to see benefits from a new skin care routine if you follow our advice exactly. Our advice assumes you are following the full personalized skin care routine recommended for you.

When will I see benefits from a new skin care routine?

When you will see benefits from a new skin care routine

If your skin is not improving on your routine, how long should you wait to switch products? It depends on many things and what the issue is.

Is it not working or you are having a reaction?

My skin care routine is not working

Keep reading to see how long it takes for your routine to work and how to know if it is working.

Make sure you are following our personalized regimen advice that we gave you when you took the quiz.

I’m having a reaction to a product

If you are having a reaction to a new product, stop it immediately and click here to read what to do. In most cases can return the product to us.

It is possible that you are having an allergic reaction to an ingredient on this list or having a side effect to retinol.

If you are having clogged pores, stop any products on this comedogenic ingredient list.

How long to see results from new skin care routine

How long it takes to see results from a new skin care routine depends upon your Baumann Skin Type and the skin issues you are treating.

Most Baumann Skin Types should wait at least 12 weeks after beginning a new routine to switch skin care products.

If your kin isn’t improving, here are some things you need to know about how fast products can change the skin.

Texture improves the fastest, then very fine lines get better as skin hydration improves, then inflammation begins to clear as skin becomes less sensitive, followed by dark spots around 8-12 weeks and deeper wrinkles improve last around 6 months.

This is the order that skin improvement is usually seen if you are using the best skin care routine for your skin type:

Texture

Glow and radiance

Hydration (less dryness)

Fine lines due to rough texture or dehydration

Stinging and burning

Redness

Acne

Dark Spots, hyperpigmentation, and Melasma

Deeper Wrinkles

This is roughly how log each skin concern takes to see changes after a new routine:

Texture- immediate

Glow and radiance- immediate

Hydration (less dryness)- 1-3 days

Fine lines due to rough texture or dehydration- 1-3 days

Stinging and burning- 2-3 days

Redness- 5+ days. Can take a month.

Acne- 8 weeks

Dark Spots, hyperpigmentation, and Melasma 12-16 weeks or more

Deeper Wrinkles- 6 months

You can learn more about how long it takes Vitamin C serum to work and how long for retinol to work on wrinkles in these blogs.

Some benefits from new routines are noticeable in just a few days

Skin texture benefits from a new skin care routine

Skin texture improves fast with a new routine if you are using exfoliators. They remove the top dead layer of skin cells making the skin feel instantly smoother and look more radiant. You should notice skin smoothness immediately after using a face scrub, alpha hydroxy acid, and most enzyme cleansers and masks.

Although retinol and Vitamin C have some mild exfoliating abilities, they are not strong enough to give immediate benefits.

Once the texture has smoothed, the skin will become glowing and more radiant. (This is called glass skin)

ascorbic acid, vitamin C

Decreased dryness and hydration benefits from a new skin care routine

How long is takes for dry skin to go away with a new skin care routine is usually 1-3 days. There are many types of moisturizers that contain various combinations of humectants , occlusive ingredients, fatty acids, oils, and barrier repair ingredients. How fast you see changes with moisturizers and the types of changes you see depends upon the ingredients in the face creams.

In general- humectants like hyaluronic acid, heparan sulfate, and glycerin are immediate. When humectants are used at the same time as occlusive ingredients, you get plump hydrated skin within a few hours. This is referred to as jello skin.

It ca take 3- 7 days to repair your skin barrier which helps your skin be less sensitive and hold onto water better. If you use a barrier repair moisturizer, you should notice that your skin is less reactive in about a week.

How long to see wrinkle improvement with a new skin care regimen?

To explain how fast wrinkles improve, I am going to divide them into 3 types of wrinkles of different depths.

Fine lines and shallow wrinkles improve with exfoliators and moisturizers in 1-3 days.

Medium size lines and mid depth wrinkles can improve immediately with ingredients that deposit a layer on the skin’s surface to hide wrinkles Examples of ingredients that improve wrinkles fast are glycosaminoglycans, peptides, and polymers. However, these results are temporarily and go away when the ingredient is washed off. They do not treat the causes of skin aging, they just cover up the wrinkles.

Deep wrinkles can take 6 months or more to get better. Vitamin C, retinoids, growth factors, and exosomes are the best antiaging ingredients to treat deep lines. It takes a long time to improve deep wrinkles because they need the amount of collagen in the skin to increase to see wrinkle improvement.

How to know if your skin care routine is working

How to know if your skin routine is working

Your skin care routine is working if you see improved hydration and less sensitivity in the few few weeks.

It is normal to have some acne purging in the first few weeks but you should have fewer clogged pores and less acne breakouts in 8 weeks.

Your dark spots may look worse in the first 4-6 weeks as they come to the surface. By 8-12 weeks you should begin to see lightening of the hyperpigmentation if you are using the right skin care products to treat hyperpigmentation. If you have a darker skin type, it may take even longer for products to work.

It is impossible to know if your wrinkle creams are working before 6 months because you need to give them time to work. However, you can get an idea if retinoids are working on your wrinkles because you should be having some retinoid side effects like stinging and peeling. If not, you should consider using a stronger retinoid.

How long to wait to switch products if skin isn’t improving

Give a new skin care routine 8 weeks to work.

When you take our quiz and get your custom dermatolgoist- developed skin routine , we will send you monthly emails to tell you what results to look for.

We will tell you:

What to do if you have a skin reaction

If you need to change your routine

When to change products in your routine

How to change your routine every month

When to switch to a maintenance regimen if you are treating melasma

So watch for these emails. They are personalized to you to guide you. Mark them as safe so they do not go to your junk folder.

Why does it take so long to see skin changes and benefits from a new skin care routine?

The epidermis takes about 40 days to renew itself in a process called desquamation.

This is why you start to see a smooth texture and increased radiance first with your skin care products. You may see changes in hydration, smoothness, and radiance in a few hours or days.

This is how the companies can get away with telling you you will see “instant results” from new skin care products.

Immediate skin improvement occurs with exfoliation

top layer of skin

If you use an exfoliant- the top layer of the epidermis called the stratum corneum is partially removed. This leaves the skin instantly smoother.

(This is the sales strategy that the skin care brand sales people use in malls when they insist on showing you how your skin is instantly smoother and more radiant.)

After exfoliating, you will see changes in smoothness and radiance immediately, but this benefit only lasts a day. Do not over exfoliate.

Why does it take a skin care routine months to give a long term benefit?

In your customized dermatologist developed skin care routine that we design for you and your Baumann Skin Type – we are striving for long term skin improvement and healthier skin. This takes time!

This is why we guide you through the first 3 months until we can get you on a stable long term maintenance skin care routine.

Why it takes so long to see permanent changes in skin thickness, firmness and wrinkles:

Fibroblast cells in the dermis must be affected by the skin care products.

Not all skin care product penetrate to the dermis unless the right cleansers and moisturizers are used

It takes time for genes to turn on and have action

Pathways need to get turned on an off- and stay on and off

Consistency is important and 95% of people use less topical creams than their dermatologists-recommend (1). Your skin care routine will work must faster if you use the complete skin care routine that we recommended for you every day.

Fibroblast cells in the dermis of skin

Pathways that must be affected by skin care in order to improve skin

Many pathways need to be affected by skin care in order to make a long term benefits. To learn more about the complicated science of what skin care must do to improve these conditions, click on the condition below.

Fines lines, wrinkles and thin fragile skin

Inflammation and facial redness

Excessive skin pigmentation/ dark spots on skin

Dehydrated skin with an impaired skin barrier

Allergic skin

Stinging skin

Acne

Melasma

Rosacea

Eczema

As you can see, there are many different biologic processes that affect how long it takes for skin to get better on a new skin care routine.

Here is an example of a patient with acne who used her Baumann Skin Type to design the perfect customized skin care routine for her unique needs.

How long for acne to clear

DQH Knowledge drop: In your 20s, your skin cell turnover decreases. (Cell turnover is a key component in keeping your skin youthful.) You know what else slows down? Your collagen production. Starting in your 20s, collagen decreases by about 1 percent per year. Should you want to prevent fine lines and wrinkles, start by eliminating behaviors that contribute to premature aging. “If it’s bad for you, it’s bad for your skin,” says dermatologist Michel Somenek. “Cigarette smoking reduces blood flow to the skin and causes premature wrinkling and a dull skin texture. Making the repeated pursed motion to inhale can also cause smoker’s lines. Alcohol and recreational drugs are toxins for the skin that damage its cellular structure and DNA,” Somenek tells us. “The faster you eliminate vices while you are young, the better chance your skin and body have to recuperate.” Also, adopting an anti-aging routine in your 20s is key. After all, the best offense is a good defense. We spoke to Somenek and experts Joshua Ross and Audrey Kunin to find out more. Keep reading for the best anti-aging products for your 20s, according to skincare professionals. Sunscreen “We all know that the sun is the number one cause of skin aging and starting the prevention in your 20s is very important,” Ross says. “The majority of your sun damage won’t start to appear until you’re in your 30s, so don’t wait until you see it surface or you’ll be behind the curve. Stay ahead of it with a good-quality zinc-based sunscreen worn daily.” Farmacy Green Defense Daily Mineral Sunscreen An invisible sunscreen with SPF 30, plus botanical extracts meant to protect skin with tons of antioxidants. Bonus: It’s clean and fine to use under makeup. Bareminerals Complexion Rescue™ Tinted Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Although we recommend you use your SPF and moisturizer separately, we also understand moments when you don’t have time or energy for that extra step. For those times, this bareMinerals moisturizer is a great thing to have on hand. Vitamin C Serum “A great introduction to anti-aging is to start with a vitamin C serum in your morning skincare routine,” Ross says. “It’s a powerful antioxidant that will neutralize free radicals and brighten the skin.” He adds that it’s a great way to counteract the effects of the sun’s harmful rays, which, as previously mentioned, are among the biggest causes of premature aging. Drunk Elephant C-Firma™ Vitamin C Day Serum The Drunk Elephant C-Firma is a lightweight serum that promises to give skin a glow by combining the brightening powers of vitamin C with ferulic acid, l-ascorbic acid, and vitamin E. The included sodium hyaluronate is meant to replace hydration loss, so you shouldn’t have to deal with any irritation. Sunday Riley C.E.O. Rapid Flash Brightening Serum This potent serum is jam-packed with vitamin C (15 percent, to be exact), which means it’s a potential superstar at both brightening skin and dousing it in antioxidants. Peptides Using peptides on your skin has many benefits, says Somenek. “The skin barrier is what defends the body against pollution, UV rays, bacteria, and toxins. It can be damaged by several everyday factors. Using topical peptides aids in building a stronger barrier,” he says. “Peptides comprise elastic fibers, which are a type of protein. These fibers help to make skin appear taut and firm. Peptides can also help repair damaged skin, relieve inflammation, and even out skin tone. Some peptides can kill acne-causing bacteria that is common in 20-somethings.” Kunin agrees, saying, “Peptides are an excellent entry point for supporting collagen.” She recommends looking for face and eye treatments that contain these collagen-boosting powerhouses. Charlotte Tilbury Magic Eye Rescue Cream This Charlotte Tilbury super-emollient eye cream has a base of coconut oil and shea butter (read: it’s incredibly hydrating). Botanicals plus peptides are meant to help reduce dark circles and boost collagen, respectively. This creamy moisturizer serves up potent collagen-boosting peptides and pycnogenol, and antioxidant-rich vitamin C. “Instead of sitting on top of the skin, peptides penetrate the outer layer so they go deep. The ‘signals’ they send tell the cells to produce elastin and collagen, which are needed for youthful-looking skin,” explains Somenek. At-Home Peel Pads Remember that skin cell turnover fiasco we talked about earlier? One way to help support it is by exfoliating. “Exfoliation is important to help keep skin fresh and luminous,” Kunin says. She recommends using at-home peel pads as an easy and effective way to exfoliate. “The goal in your 20s is to fight the slowing pace of cell turnover. It is wise to use products that gently exfoliate, yet still remove oil and other impurities. Products that have Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHA) or Beta Hydroxy Acids (BHA) are a good choice.” According to Somenek, you should only exfoliate two to three times a week. “People of all ages are guilty of over-exfoliating and that can be too much of a good thing,” he says. Dermadoctor Kakadu C Intensive Vitamin C Peel Pad A few swipes of this Derma Doctor powerful peel pad promise to leave your skin glowing and smooth, thanks to the seven (yes, seven) types of chemical exfoliants, including AHA and BHA. It also contains vitamin C via Kakadu plum extract for added brightening and antioxidant protection. KEY INGREDIENTS Kakadu plum extract is sourced from the Kakadu plum, a fruit grown in northern Australia. It contains vitamin C, which restores the skin’s natural barrier, increases collagen production, and soothes irritation. Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Alpha Beta® Universal Daily Peel Pads These are the gold standard of peel pads, with a cult following and over 900 five-star reviews on Sephora. They’re easy to use and contain a blend of anti-aging exfoliating acids. Emollient Night Cream “In your 20s, you need to start upping the hydration in your skincare routine. You may have been cautious of over-moisturizing because of acne in your teens, but as you enter your 20s, your skin transitions and becomes drier,” Ross says. “I recommend an emollient night cream added into your evening skincare regimen.” “Twenty-somethings need to make sure that they are not using creams that will clog their pores and cause excess oil production,” says Somenek. Opt for non-comedogenic products. Cerave Skin Renewing Night Cream One great choice is the CeraVe Skin Renewing Night Cream, which is a non-comedogenic night cream that leaves skin soft and glowy. It combines the moisturizing powers of ceramides and hyaluronic acid. RoC Retinol Correxion Max Hydration Creme “The best night cream ingredients contain retinol, benzoyl peroxide, and/or salicylic acid or hyaluronic acid. The goal is to moisturize, yet remove excess oil,” says Somenek. This Roc Retinol Correxion cream fits the bill as it contains both hyaluronic acid and retinol so it promises to moisturize while also being non-comedogenic.

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