Are you experiencing random breakouts? How about unexplained dry or flaky skin? Whatever is happening, it could mean that the skincare routine that once worked so well for you is no longer delivering results.
Let’s dive into some of the biggest reasons why your skincare routine might cease to work, from the low-down on your monthly skin cycle to the medical-grade products that could help you see game-changing results…
Want personalized advice on why your skincare routine isn’t working?
How Do You Know If Your Skincare Routine Isn’t Working?
With so many skincare products available, it can be difficult to find the ones that actually work for you. Often, it’s easy to tell when a routine isn’t working because:
- Old symptoms return (like acne or dry skin)
- New symptoms appear (such as irritation, redness, or flaky patches)
- You no longer notice positive changes in your skin
If this sounds familiar, your routine may need an update. Here are some of the most common reasons this can happen:
1. Your Products Don’t Have Enough Active Ingredients
Many over-the-counter products claim to improve skin concerns, but not all include active ingredients — the science-backed compounds designed to target acne, pigmentation, signs of aging, and more.
You may have seen initial improvements when switching products, but over time your skin may stop responding if the actives aren’t strong enough. A Skin Expert can help ensure your routine includes effective, results-driven ingredients.
2. You are not consistent with your routine
Consistency is key. Skincare products need time to penetrate the skin, and your skin needs to get used to their ingredients. Skipping days, using products in the wrong order, or missing steps can leave your skin reactive, making it seem like your routine isn’t working.
Tips for staying consistent:
- Write your morning and evening steps on a post-it and stick it to your bathroom mirror
- Decant your products into travel-sized containers if you’re away from home
- Set phone reminders for your routine
Looking for more skincare tips? Check out this article "Our Top 6 bad skincare habits and how to break them"
3. You Haven’t Used It Long Enough
Many people stop a new skincare routine too early because of skin purging. This is when your skin speeds up its natural process of clearing out impurities, which can cause breakouts, blackheads, or irritation.
These symptoms usually fade within a few weeks, but if you stop your routine too soon, you won’t see the real results. Stick with your routine for at least six weeks.
You can read more on how long it takes to see results from a new skincare routine, here.
4. You are using too many products at once
You may think ‘the more the merrier’ when it comes to skincare products, but often (and especially if you suffer from sensitive skin) the fewer products you use on your skin, the better. Too many products can overload skin and cause buildup, blocked pores and other symptoms. You may think your skincare routine has stopped working, but you could simply be using a few too many products.
Keep it simple, and go with the advice of your Skin Expert to know the perfect number of products for your skin type.
5. Your skin has acclimated to the products
Even if you have a good thing going with your skincare routine, after a while, your skin may get used to the products, which can cause negative symptoms. This is because your skin works in cycles.
Around every 27 days, the skin will ‘cycle’ and remove the top layer of dead skin cells, and regenerate a new layer of healthy cells in the epidermis, which eventually becomes the top layer of skin. Studies have found that when a skin cell is generated in the basal layer of the skin, it is shed from the surface around a month later, which is why most experts will advise using a new product for at least 6 weeks before deciding whether or not it is for you.
No matter your skin type or the products you use, your skin will change over time and need different products - it happens to everyone.
After 6 weeks, if your skincare is not working for you, it’s best to speak to your Skin Expert about potentially switching up the products again to something that will lead to better results.
Book your free video skincare consultation
6. The weather has changed
We’ve all experienced dry skin in winter, or sweaty skin in summer! Unfortunately, skin tends to suffer with extreme changes in weather, so if your skincare routine has stopped working, it could be due to what’s going on outside. You can read more on how to maintain healthy skin during the winter, here.
This can be an easy fix, so speak to your Skin Expert if you have any negative side effects from weather changes. They may be able to recommend a slight adjustment to your skincare routine that could make a difference.
7. You’re guessing which products are best instead of speaking to an expert
There are so many skincare products on the market, so it’s nearly impossible to find the best ones for you by trial and error. It can be frustrating to constantly purchase expensive skincare products, realize they don’t work for you, and have to get rid of them before trying something else.
Instead of guessing or trawling through online reviews, speak to a professional with experience using a large number of products, who can recommend based on client testimonials, and who can prescribe highly effective medical-grade skincare products if necessary. Face Dr offers a free online consultation to help with this, there are many options out there if you want to find an expert local to you.
Summary: How do I give my skincare routine the best chance?
Implementing a new skincare routine and making sure it works for you can be a confusing and time-consuming process, so here is our advice:
- Speak to a Skin Expert to discuss your skin history, skin needs, and anything else that will help you find the best products.
- Stick to a tried-and-tested, simple routine of products with active ingredients designed to help your specific skin issues.
- Do whatever you must do to remind yourself about using your products consistently.
- Stick with the routine for at least 6 weeks to see results.
- If the weather changes, book a free consultation with your Skin Expert to discuss making adjustments.
- If you start to notice negative changes in your skin (or in the case of, for example, anti-ageing products, you stop noticing positive changes), book a free consultation with your Skin Expert to check in and ask them about updates to your routine. This could be as simple as using slightly more or less of a product each day.
Want to read more from our blog? Here are some articles that may interest you:
