Have you ever been guilty of throwing in the towel when you haven’t seen instant results? Yeah, us too.
From losing weight to developing a new skill, it’s human nature to become quickly disheartened when we don’t see an immediate, visible improvement. And as it turns out, the same principle applies to the cleansers, toners and serums promising to banish our acne and eliminate our wrinkles.
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So, a week or two into your new regimen, as you stand in front of the mirror and your fine lines are still prominent and blemishes are still inflamed, it’s important to remind yourself that Rome wasn’t built in a day. And your flawless, youthful complexion won’t be either.
In fact, when it comes to getting the most out of our skin care, patience and consistency can be equally as critical as the formulas themselves.
But exactly how long does skin care take to work?
Well, that all depends. While different products work to varying timelines, a general rule of thumb for how long we should wait before seeing results is roughly 28 days.
This four-week block mimics the length of our typical skin cycle. Within each skin cycle a fresh skin cell will appear, mature, die and then shed. So technically any products working on the superficial layer of our complexion shouldn’t need any longer than this.
Image credit: @jordanrisa
In fact, most dermatologists will even recommend waiting a full three months before making a fair assessment on whether or not your products have been working. So if you’re a serial serum chop and changer (say this out loud five times), this could be the reason you are seeing little to no improvement when it comes to eliminating your skin care qualms.
How do we know which products might need longer than others?
Products targeting the superficial layer of our skin will often offer visible and immediate results. This includes cleansers recruited to wash the oil and dirt from the day away, physical exfoliants or spot treatments applied to a pimple that’s moments away from bursting.
However, deep-rooted skin concerns like acne, scarring and pigmentation will understandably require more time.
In fact, comparing this process to the healing of a scab, Tracy Julien the VP of marketing at bioClarity explained to The Zoe Report, “the smaller the wound, the quicker it will heal and the larger or deeper the wound, the longer it takes to heal”.
“In the case of acne, the root cause of it is often subdermal, so it will take time for the active ingredients to penetrate into the dermis and reach the source of the inflammation and irritation,” she noted.
This means any products containing more potent actives like retinoids or peptides can “take anywhere between three to four months to see the full effect because they’re working on a genetic level.”
When can we disregard this rule and immediately move on?
If your skin immediately starts to burn, sting or become red and irritated, then this might be the sign of an allergic reaction, in which case we don’t recommend sticking around to see the full 28-day cycle through.
However, stinging doesn’t always mean you’re allergic. A bad reaction can also come down to pairing skin care ingredients that shouldn’t be mixed together.
Main image credit: @summerfridays
How long do you wait before seeing results from a product?
My problem is that I love trying new products, so am not always as consistent as I need to see improvements with certain products
I sometimes find instant results are received from certain products and this is usually those that claim to make your skin softer and more supple or a body moisturiser which will end dryness.
I do agree that you have to give moisturizers and treatments some time to see if they are effective or not.
I normally give it a while so I can see results from a product, thanks a great and very informative read.
I can usually tell straight away with cleansers & moisturisers, but serums take a bit longer. I normally like to leave it a few weeks or a month before I make up my mind on them. Of course, if I react quickly to a serum (which can happen, given my sensitive skin), then I pass judgement quicker. I’ve been trialling a couple of sample size serums into my skincare over the last 2-3 weeks & already I can see an improvement in my skin, but I’ll still wait a bit longer before I come to any final conclusion.
I find it hard to decide if a product is working well, but if I like the way it makes my skin feel then I am willing to buy it
I know within an hour if my skin reacts badly
If only we were given a three month trial on products to tell how well they really worked, as recommended by the dermatologist. We do know if a product will be acceptable for use when we apply it usually within a day or two but seeing real results does seem to take at least a month to 6 weeks. Time given on BH trials is just not sufficient for accurate reviews, only how it feels on individual trial teams.
I always try to persevere to see if a product works
Wasnt aware of the time frames of trying products so maybe i will persevere a bit more.
I know within a short space of time if a skincare product irritates.
I’m undecided whether Retinol is for me, everytime i use it i have very dry itchy skin around my mouth and nose.
Im loving Niacinamide at the moment
I tend to switch my beauty products around so my skin doesnt get used to a particular product and have my favourite brands although love trying new ones!
As long as there’s no reactions I like to use a full product to see how my skin responds. Often I see superficial changes within days but always a month or so for real results to show. I find this helps me get a good gauge for how it works for me and often re purchase if it’s targeting my concerns.
Retinol is not for my sensitive skin either but I’m trying bakuchiol at the moment (the natural retinol) and have been impressed so far after 6 weeks, and no bad skin reaction
Good to know to wait and be patient for longer
This makes sense, good to know
Okay 28 days. Some could say a period cycle.
I often see reviews where people say they’ve seen an improvement in just a few days for products that claim to reduce fine lines and wrinkles. I’m always doubtful of this, but it’s possible they see results if they’re young. I’m in my late fifties and I don’t expect to see miracles. On the flipside, I’ve seen people complain about a product because they didn’t see quick results.
Some great insights here!
Retinoids and acids actually speed up skin cell turnover!
There has been one product I didn’t give a chance to using because I felt there was no change after just one go. Oddly enough, I did review this product and found out some others had a similar opinion.