Choosing the right skincare product isn’t easy. There are literally tens of thousands of different products with different brands and different marketing slogans out there, so how do you know whether a product is right for your skin or not? And aren’t you frustrated after using your skincare product for weeks to months that you’re not seeing any changes?
I’ll be sharing five warning signs that your skincare product isn’t working for your skin, and if any of these five apply to you, change your skincare product immediately.
Five signs your skincare product is not working
1. Skin feels dry and irritated
If your skin is irritated, your skin is trying to tell you that something is wrong with it, especially if you have started a new skincare product.
Now irritation can come from any forms, whether it’s itchy, blotchy or even stings your skin, now all these are telltale signs that the skincare product isn’t working for you. These signs can appear almost immediately when you apply your skincare product or in some cases it can take weeks to months for this particular signs to manifest and if you have any of the signs you need to stop your skincare product almost immediately and then repair your skin. Now how do you repair?
Go back to the basics. Use a gentle cleanser and a gentle moisturizer so that your skin can auto-repair itself. The repair process might take a while, but if you give it patience, your skin will go back to normal.
2. Your skin flares up
There are many reasons why your skin will flare up when you’re using a skincare product. One of the most common reasons why your skin flares up is when you’re using too many exfoliating products.
Skincare ingredients, like alpha hydroxy acids (AHA) and beta hydroxy acids(BHA) can irritate your skin. Examples of AHA’s are glycolic acid, lactic acid, and BHA’s are salicylic acid.
Even though exfoliation is good for your skin, sometimes over exfoliating can be hazardous or some of these acids have a very low pH, which means they can actually disrupt your skin’s natural pH and that leads to skin flare-up.
Another ingredient that is common in skin flareups is the use of vitamin A, or retinoids. Vitamin A retinol or retinoids can irritate skin, especially when your skin is sensitive.
Remember, if you are using a skincare product and it’s causing you to flare up, you might want to stop that product immediately and then go back to basics ; gentle cleanser and a gentle moisturizer.
3. Acne breakouts
When you have acne popping out from time to time and you haven’t changed your skincare product, it doesn’t mean that your skincare isn’t right for you. It just means that there is some sort of stress on your skin, however, when you change a new skincare product or you have added a new skincare routine and you’re getting teeny tiny bumps or you’re getting acne breakouts all over your skin it’s a warning sign that the skincare product is irritating your skin and causing acne flareups.
This happens because the skincare product that you’re currently using is probably producing excessive sebum, is not exfoliating and is unclogging your pores and activating bacteria on your skin.
In cases of acne breakouts or acne flareups, you have to stop your skincare product immediately and the best is to seek professional help, go for dermatologist and in very serious cases you might be put on antibiotics or even Accutane and a very important tip if you have an acne breakup try not to pinch or squeeze the pimple.
4. Your skin becomes oily
There are a lot of strong oil or lotion-based products on the market, and most of these products are actually comfortable to be used by most skin types. However, some of these oily or lotion-based products can over-moisturise your skin, which can lead to excessive oil being produced by your skin.
The best way is actually to stop all these oily products and cut them into a more gentle or light-hydrating product. Stick to things like hydrating toners, hydrating serums, and a light gel-based moisturizer, and that should be able to fix your oily skin issue.
5. You see no results
You don’t see any result on your skin after using it for months. Miracles do not happen overnight and require time to see results ,now depending on the kind of skincare product that you’re using and the kind of skincare ingredients that it actually contains, it can take anywhere between 6 weeks to 12 weeks to see any sort of results on your skin .However ,one of the telltale signs that skincare product or the ingredients in the product isn’t working for you is after using for a long period of time roughly within 3 to 6 months and you didn’t see any results it means the product isn’t working for your skin. In this case start with basics, understand what skin type you have, what skin concerns you have and go look at the ingredients which are suitable for your skin type and skin concerns and after that you can get professional help to get recommendations on what kind of skincare product might be good for you.
As a general rule of thumb, products that are dealing with hyperpigmentation or wrinkles generally take more time to see results whereas products that are meant to hydrate your skin takes short duration.
So there you have, five warning signs that your skin product isn’t working for your skin! Let me know in the comments below which skin care products that you have personally used that does not work for you.
FAQs
Your skin looks hydrated, smooth with no texture.
Your skin feel tight, dry itchy and dull.
You might get rash, acne or redness.
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I am a dentist, baker, and fitness and health enthusiast with a passion for living life to the fullest. I am foodie and explorer, always seeking new adventures and flavors. Currently working on my own skincare brand.
