How to Tell If Your Skin Care Regimen is Working

We are an instant gratification society. We like immediacy. But when it comes to skin care, if the effects are instant, they are not lasting. Things that change the underlying skin condition and really transform—peeling out impactions, diminishing lines, lifting pigment—take time. And during the process, it can feel like nothing is happening. Or it may seem like your skin is actually getting worse. Don’t give up. Here’s how to gauge whether or not your skin care regimen is working.

Your Skin is Flaking

This is a good thing. Products formulated with ingredients that accelerate cell renewal create the exfoliation that’s crucial for generating healthy new cells, clearing impactions, lifting excess pigment, and diminishing fine lines.

Expect a little flaking. Maybe even a good amount of flaking. Possibly some pinkness, dryness, or even a little itching. That’s acclimation. And it’s the sign that your products are working. Within four to six weeks, the signs of acclimation will disappear, but the benefits will continue to grow.

Without exfoliation, dead skin cells build up they block the moisture barrier, making fine lines appear more visible, and keeping your products from delivering their effective ingredients into the deeper levels of the dermis. Your products can’t work effectively if they are not getting absorbed properly into the skin.

If you find your skin is excessively flaky during the acclimation process, use one of Vivant’s exfoliating scrub cleansers to help loosen and lift the flakes.

If the redness or irritation is excessive, you should back off to every other day or move down to a lower percentage.

Once skin acclimates, you are still getting benefit from the product, but you can push your results further by moving up to the next level.

It’s Been a Month

That’s the length of a complete cell life-cycle. Use your products in a consistent daily regimen for a full thirty days before judging your results. This allows time for your skin to acclimate, for pimples forming under the surface to be brought up and cleared away, and for cell regeneration to occur.

It's a good idea to take a before picture when you start using a new product. That way you aren’t relying on your memory of what it looked like before. After 4 weeks of use, take another photo in conditions that are as similar as possible to the first one -- the same time of day, the same kind of lighting, etc. If you see improvement, stick with it. Compare again after another 4 to 6 weeks of use.

You Feel Like Going Makeup Free

If your skin has felt tight, irritated, greasy, or overly dry in the past, these sensations will go away, and you will begin to notice that your skin feels normal and healthy. With your skin properly hydrated, balanced, and free of cellular debris, you’ll feel less need to cover and correct with makeup. Your skin will look and feel fresh and revived. If you do still prefer to wear makeup, you’ll notice that your makeup will have a smoother finish and will wear better all day long.

People Notice

You see yourself every day. You may not notice the changes because they’re happening little by little. When others start seeing it, you know it’s really happening. With things like clearing acne, or hyperpigmentation, it’s fairly obvious. With diminishing lines and firming skin, it can be more subtle day to day. For those who don't see you every day, the shift may be dramatic.

“Something’s different.”

“You’re glowing.”

“What have you been doing?”

The sure-fire way to know if your regimen is working? People notice.