Reasons Why Your Skincare Products Change (Or Seem to…)

From adolescence onward, skincare becomes of our daily and nightly routines and hunt for the wonder products to give us clear, hydrated, glowing skin again and again. When those products are found, it is like hitting a goldmine. But has one of your star products ever seemed to just stop working? It must have been reformulated, right? While that is possible, there may be an even likelier explanation that has nothing to do with the product at all but, rather, your skin and its responses to things. It doesn’t mean that your skin is bad. It has has just simply changed. On average, skin cells shed and turnover completely approximately every 28 days. With each turnover, you technically have brand-new face with different tendencies and needs This is not to say that every single skin turnover will require a new routine, but it does tell us that skin is in an ongoing state of transition, reacting to any number changes both within and outside of the body.

Seasonal Change: Even though most of us spend much of our time indoors within climate controlled conditions, our bodies still naturally adapts to seasonal change and also feel the effects that each season brings. For instance, the summer sun makes us hotter and our skin produce more sebum (oil). meaning that you are likelier to have more clogged pores and breakouts in summer. Conversely, in winter, our skin gets drier and becomes more sensitized due to harsh, biting wind, indoor heating, getting sick with a cold or the flu, etc. Because of this, you might find a cleanser that works to really keep your skin clear and calm in the summer is too stripping in the winter, and a moisturizer that cushions your skin in winter is too thick and clogging in the heat. In the midst of transitioning seasons, it may not be that a product has stopped working for you altogether. It just may not be the right time for them to shine.

Your Water: Water affects the skin in a number a ways. These effects are not just limited to the amount of water your drink (although that is important) but also the water you wash your face with. The pH of water varies greatly depending on where you live, and your skin gets acclimated over time to one pH versus another. The same is also true for any chemical treatments an area may use to clean or filter the local water versus those used in another place . If you travel or if you move, your skin likely will go into a period of adjustment in reaction to the new water. If your new location is a permanent one, you may find your skin calms and goes completely back to its normal in a few months with no adjustment in product or lifestyle at all simply because it is now used to the new water and has balanced itself again, or you might find that your skin has completely different needs now with the new water it is exposed to and you need a new set of products.

Changes In Your Diet (Even For the Better): The phrase “you are what you eat” certainly applies to the look and health of our skin. It is pretty easy to assume that a diet of fried foods and soda and candy on the regular would have a negative impact on the skin. Still, it can also also true that often when people drastically revise their diets to be healthier, their skin can display the change and not always for the better... at first. It is important to remember that the skin is a living organ of the body,and while it doesn’t exactly detoxify the body in the way that other organs like the liver and kidneys do, the skin does release sweat to push excess of toxins out of the body. Consuming healthier foods facilitates and often speeds up this process, and some of the residual “waste” from the toxins will be released through sweat and may also cause, thereby, some inflammation or a short-lived phase of breakouts the body re-calibrates things like its liver function, bloodsugar levels, and other internal factors. After your body has had time to adjust to your new eating plan, you might find that some of your tried and trues will go back to being reliable standbys, or in some cases—depending on which concerns some of your favorite products might address-- your skin may be better equipped to handle more of its needs internally and may not need as many topical products.

Stress Levels: The amount of stress we feel in our lives fluctuates constantly, but it often shows in our skin. The effects on our skin of mental and emotional stress can show in any way from breakouts, to more flushing, to excessive dryness, and peeling. If you have been noticing a sudden but building change in the way your skin is looking and feeling, evaluate what's been going on in your life and see if the stress may be affecting the condition of your skin, rather than a product no longer being effective.

Hormones and The Cycle of Life: While the most commonly thought of effect of hormones is teen acne, hormones can cause many types of skin changes at every age, especially for women, be they menstruating, pregnant, postpartum, perimenopausal, menopausal, or even postmenopausal. All of these phases, along with the skin becoming thinner and slower to renew as it ages, bring new rules and new boundaries to what the skin needs and can tolerate. Listening to your skin at every moment and being willing to adapt not just the way you use your standard products, but very likely what the products themselves is key. Not many of us can wear the same size shirt we did at 12 when we are 45. Likewise, the same lineup of products will not necessarily be able to follow us into every season of life. After all, product formulas are fixed things. Our bodies are not.

The next time a beloved skincare item acts like a failure instead of a failsafe, ask yourself what other factors about you or your life have changed and how might those be affecting your skin. It might just be time for your skincare to change along with them.