When trying a new acne treatment, you run to the mirror to see if somehow those ugly marks on your face have somehow magically disappeared overnight. Each time you notice that an acne sore has healed, you feel that little hint of hope creeping up in the back of your mind. Maybe you finally found the one product that will have you looking healthy and beautiful, but how do you know if your acne treatment is working? There are 3 signs that clearer skin is in your future. Let's go through them now.
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Is it treating current acne breakouts?
An acne product needs to help heal the acne sores you are already dealing with. All pimples will heal with time, but pay attention to see how they are healing. One way to tell if your acne treatment is working is to see if they are healing faster. The current breakouts should also appear less red and irritated with a good acne product. You will also want to see if the acne marks are creating ugly scars. Almost all acne sores will create sores, but if they are left alone, a treatment product should help to minimize the appearance of them.
Is my skin looking and feeling better?
The third way you will be able to tell if your acne treatment is working is by not looking at your acne, but the look and feel of your skin. Successfully treated skin will still have oil on the surface to prevent your skin from becoming too dry, but there should not be excessive amounts of it. You will want to keep in mind, however, that the area of your face that includes your forehead and down your nose (called the T-zone) may have more oil than the rest of your face. Bottom line: Healthy skin should look healthy!
Is it treating future acne breakouts?
When starting a new acne treatment, the number of breakouts often gets worse for the first few weeks. This causes you to think that the product is making your problem worse and you stop using the product. This could not be farther from the truth. In fact, this is how some of the best acne treatments work to treat future acne breakouts.
Many excellent acne treatment products immediately begin to bring all of the sebum and dirt that is deep inside your skin to the surface. In some cases, it can often feel like your skin has a light rash because all of the small little whiteheads on the surface of your skin. With all of the acne-causing materials out of the skin, there is no way the pores will become infected unless you quit using the acne treatment and allow your pores to become clogged again. If the breakouts just seem to keep appearing, or the numbers of breakouts increase weeks after using the product, chances are it's not working and it is better to move on to a different product.
So there you have it.
If you notice these 3 signs, then you know that your acne treatment is working, but you will have to have patience. Some acne treatments might begin to show results in the first few days, but for most products, it often takes four to six weeks to see the results. The best way to know if your acne treatment is working is to keep an eye on it and pay attention to any changes in the appearance and feel of your skin.
We all like to look our best. If we had the ability to choose to have smooth, beautiful and glowing skin then we would. It's a no-brainer. Choosing to have a solid skin care routine is certainly one of the ways to ensuring that this is achievable.
But what is a good skin care routine? Is there a one-size fits all?... Unfortunately no. We all have different skin types and each ombre skin type will need it's own special, loving care. So the question then is, how do I know what is good for me?
Whether you have dry, oily, combination, sensitive or acne prone skin we will try to give a basic, easy to understand guide on how to start your journey into the sometimes overwhelming world of skin care products.
Any good skincare routine should combine a cleanser followed by a toner, then a serum and lastly a moisturiser.
The cleanser that you choose should be one that matches your individual skin requirements. For oily/combination/acne prone skin a good place to start would be a gel cleanser or something like Elizabeth's Arden Visible Difference Skin Balancing Exfoliating Cleanser for combination skin to ensure that not too much oil is added. If you have dry skin then something like a cream cleanser would be best for you. StriVectin Comforting Cream Cleanser would be ideal for this.
Next, we would recommend some sort of toner. There are three main categories for choosing a toner. First, if you have dry skin then a toner with little to no alcohol would be best. Alcohol can dry out your skin so stay away from it if you can. Lancôme Tonique Confort Hydrating Toner would be something that we would suggest for this. If you have oily skin then you may want to choose a toner that also exfoliates. This is because of the increased likelihood of oil becoming trapped in your pores and possibly causing breakouts. If you have combination skin then it's a bit of a judgement call but you could go for either type of cleanser but again, try to stay away from any that include alcohol, especially if it is a high concentration.
Next comes the serum. People may ask if it is necessary to use both a serum and a moisturiser... well if you want the best results then yes it is. A serum is designed to give your skin deeper reaching benefits than a moisturiser can. They penetrate down into the epidermis and provide a concentrated boost of essential nourishment to your skin. The various types of serums include, brightening serums, exfoliating serums, anti ageing serums, hydrating serums and firming serums. Depending on what you hope to achieve and what your skin needs will, obviously dictate what you choose.
And lastly, moisturisers. There are countless different moisturisers out there but for simplicity we have grouped them into 3 main categories. Humectants, Emollients and Occlusive. In a nutshell humectants are designed for people with dry skin primarily and help to seal in water to hydrate the epidermis (the top layers of skin). They do this by drawing in water from the surrounding air and by pulling water up from the dermis (the layer beneath the epidermis) to hydrate the surface skin layers. These are also great if you have oily skin but still want to moisturise as they won't add any excess oil to your skin. Emollients are great because they replicate the action of the oils naturally found in your skin. It may also help reduce the amount of insensible fluid loss (we all lose an indeterminate about of water each day, partially through the gaps between the skin cells) by filling the gaps between skin cells. Lastly in our list is the Occlusives. These are designed for extremely dry skin or for people with conditions such as eczema. They create a physical barrier in between your skin and your surroundings, sealing in moisture and protecting from further water loss. These are understandably very thick when compared to other moisturisers.
Whatever your skin care needs are we hope you find what you are looking for. Never be afraid to ask for help from experts working in beauty departments, it's what they are there for and I'm sure they will be happy to help!