We all want to know how and WHEN our skincare investments will work...and we want to know (right now!) what to expect with our treasured new purchase. The good news? You found it with SKIN UP: immediate gratification with the benefits of purposeful skincare!
In recent years there have been so many significant evolutions in skincare technology.
The bottom line is this: even powerful skincare takes time to work.
When you apply products with active ingredients (ones meant to actually work with of your skin - not just moisturize or protect like a sunscreen), you're essentially telling your cells what to do. And believe it or not, they need time - and constant encouragement - to do that. To better understand this, we're going to explore a little deeper into the aging process, the role skincare works in terms of aging, and why patience is the biggest element when trying a new skincare routine.
What really happens as we age?
Remember your first growth spurt? Much of your early years are spent growing, a building process where your organs, tissues, and cells build. These building blocks are key to your development as age.
Then, things start to change. So not fun. Lifestyle choices start to catch up with you. Days spent happily oiled up baking in the sun, fabulous late nights, skipping the gym, having a poor diet (things that didn’t have much of an effect on you during your childhood and early adulthood) start to become more consequential now. You start to see it, especially on your face: large pores, dullness, a loss of radiance, wrinkles and fine lines, dark spots.
The fact is, aging is not a construction or building process. It’s a decay process, as awful as that sounds. It’s not as though your body is building a wrinkle, saggy neck, or dark spot. Instead, what you’re experiencing is an erosion of certain structures of your skin. Your body runs out of building blocks and becomes less effective at resisting the wear and tear of life. Collagen production is a great example of this. Think of collagen—a protein essential to our skin’s strength and elasticity—as a natural building block. As we age, our body naturally slows down collagen production, causing our skin to weaken and lose elasticity (aka...looking older).
How does skincare work to slow down the aging process?
Choosing purposeful skincare like SKIN UP and our Phil Pharma lotions help provide support to the building blocks that you otherwise would lose naturally over time. Our repeated application process mimics your skin's natural renewal process, allowing a more purposeful featherlight layer of skincare to support skin by boosting fundamenal ingredients like hyaluronic acid and antioxidants your body loses naturally every day. This loss of antixodiants and hydration our bodies produce drops off more dramatically so as we age. SKIN UP gives your skin tools and support needed to help manage the deconstructive process of aging.
How long does it take to see skincare results?
Purposeful skincare takes time to work. (Read that again: even PURPOSEFUL SKINCARE takes time to work!). If you’re thinking about giving up on a new product because you haven’t seen any results after a week, think again. When starting any new skincare routine, wait 8 weeks to expect to visibly results. Some may see it sooner or later - it's all a matter of how much damage has been done, genetics, and the tone and texture of your skin.
If this seems like an unrealistic time frame for you, it may help to take a deeper look at the different types of skincare and the functional processes behind them, because some skincare products are more superficial than others.
- Cosmetic Effects: Let’s start with cosmetics. When you apply a BB Cream or a tinted moisturizer, you may instantly feel radiant, toned, and glowing. But a lot of that effect is purely superficial, as is the nature of cosmetics. So while you may look better instantly, you’re not immediately addressing the underlying mechanisms of why your skin is the way it is. SKIN UP gives you the chance to easily incorporate a skincare routine that works WITH your makeup - so as you get that immediate glow from your makeup, you're actually using purposeful skincare that is going to help speed those results along and look better while doing it!
- Moisture Repair: Similarly, some products, like those focused on moisturization, have an instant effect that doesn’t last particularly long. Hyaluronic Acid (HA) falls into this category as well - and needs repeated short bursts applied like you can with our SKIN UP device to keep skin at an optimal hydration level. HA works on the nonbiological pathways, covering the skin, filling in cracks, and allowing moisture to build up on the skin without evaporating away. It’s not as though your skin is suddenly producing more moisture, it’s more of an artificial process that helps keep everything intact. Produced naturally by your body to hold and attract water, HA is produced less and less as we age. Reintroducing it a small molecular weight hyaluronic acid like you find in our lotions is a vital way to maintain optimal hydration, imparting a healthy looking, supple radiance we all seek.
- Underlying Mechanisms: Now, if you want to get at more underlying mechanisms, you’re going to need to give it time. Our cells are pretty phenomenal in terms of what they can build, but they don’t work very quickly. On top of that, they need a consistent feedback loop of regular care and nourishment. So, when you apply a product with a key functional ingredient like hyaluronic acid PLUS the potent antioxidants you can also find in our lotions, you're quenching your skin's top layer with something it recognizes and uses to for focused support . It starts to build. But after it the support peaks, the effects drop off—and you have to continue to maintain your optimal hydration level by simply reapplying every few hours. It takes time and consistency. That’s why most skincare needs to be applied multiple times a day (to maintain the feedback loop) and needs time to show results (so that the building blocks are actually able to get to work).
What to do if you feel your routine still isn’t working...
If you're not seeing results in those first 8 weeks from a product you've fallen in love with, don't just assume the active ingredients in your skincare aren't working for you. Make sure you're using it as directed, and reach out to the company making the product directly to understand why. I always suggest to anyone trying out a new product to take a picture with benchmark photos (1 week, 10 days, etc). I know it sounds silly - but do it anyway, you'll see your work (and investment) paying off - or if that $350 magical serum actually works!
Other tips:
- Look for brands that validate their claims with numbers. What are consumers saying? Be sure to seek out clinically and consumer tested products, and check that they have real testimonials. Check out social media...any way to see if others are experiencing the same issues or learn some new ticks and tricks to maximize your skincare.
- Talk to family members about their skincare routine and what products they use. Your genetics are a huge influencer in terms of how you age. What works for a parent or sibling will likely work for you as well.
- Talk to friends with similar complexions and lifestyles. If your best friend is similar to you in terms of diet, exercise, lifestyle choices, and complexion, then you two will likely harmonize over what products to use.
With SKIN UP you're lucky enough to have the best of both worlds.
Immediate gratification of a fabulous boost to your make up - while giving you tools to maintain beautiful skin. If you're going for long term transformative results, remember that patience is key with any product. But better than that, every time you do your makeup or apply SKIN UP throughout the day, you're taking purposeful steps toward the goal of long term radiantly, supple skin. Sitting at a traffic light or waiting for the elevator, use your SKIN UP. In the craziness of the day and the lightening speed of life, remember to take care of YOU. Your skin will thank you for it - and you'll be a lot happier with the person looking back at you in the mirror. Be kind to your body - and your soul. If you're doing something good for yourself, you’ll start to see results before you know it.
As for the second question above: What happens if I start and stop using it? Well, how long do you want to maintain beautiful skin? You have to work at it. And if you see amazing results, why would you stop using that product?
As always - I love to hear your stories, to see you glowing brides and celebs and artists heading off to the awards shows with your SKIN UP in tow, and of course the progress from those of us whose red carpet is heading into the grocery store. You'll always find me at angie@skinupusa.com, so feel free to reach out!
