Can Your Skin Build Resistance to Beauty Products?

You have probably experienced this at some point in your life…you've been washing your hair with the same shampoo and conditioner for months and then suddenly feel like it isn't as shiny and strong as it used to be? Perhaps you've experienced a similar situation when it comes to your skincare routine…using the same cleanser, toner, and moisturizer for months, but now your glow is dull and gone? Could it be that your hair or skin is getting immune to the same products you've been using for months, even years?

Has the product really changed, or is it just your imagination? One possibility is that you've changed your application habits. Maybe you used the products consistently in the beginning and then got a little lazy and decreased consistency over time. When you don't apply anti-aging products consistently, results can slow. Another possibility is that you've been using a particular product for too long. For example, silicone hair products can build up, causing hair fibers to react differently to them after a while. Other possibilities include dietary changes, seasonal changes, and hormonal changes that may subtly affect the way a product responds. A final possibility is that you've become so used to the product that you're not as excited about it anymore, which can make it seem less effective than it actually is.

Hair and Skin Misconceptions

There are many misconceptions when it comes to your skin and skincare. The fact is that your skin is constantly changing due to age, environmental factors, or season. A number of chemical reactions within and on your skin are constantly occurring. Therefore, lifestyle choices can have a direct impact on how well the chemistry of skincare solutions interact with the inherent, biochemical reactions of your body.

Skin is a dynamic organ that is continuously renewing and altering itself in response to external and internal stimuli. This doesn't mean you want to over exfoliate your skin to death, but glycolic acid peels, AHA treatments, retinoids, exfoliants, and micro-needling have been proven in many clinical studies to help improve collagen production and the overall thickness and appearance of skin over time. When used properly, quality skincare ingredients in ample concentrations will actually strengthen your skin and enable the building blocks to work even more effectively. Your skin can tolerate higher strengths of certain ingredients and tools such as retinoids, glycolic acid, and a micro-needle roller once you start consistently using them. However, when you first begin to use them, you may experience redness, irritation, skin peeling, or breakouts with initial use. Then your skin will gradually tolerate higher doses.

Occasionally, the rare person does become allergic to certain products. However, there is no scientific evidence to support the notion that you can develop immunity, resistance, or even an addiction to beauty, hair, and skincare products. When it comes to hair, the fact is that it actually changes and requires different products over time, rather than necessarily adapting to the current product. It only gets used to the products in a sense because your hair's requirements have been met by your current products.

Variables that Can Affect Results

Many variables can affect daily results you experience from using your skincare products, but your skin alone will not become immune over time to the clinical benefits of the products. Product efficacy depends on a variety of things, such as the active ingredients in a formula and your skin's changing needs. Therefore, there's no need to change your products and routine unless you develop new skin issues or concerns.

Most skincare products take up to 90 days to deliver maximum corrective results. So be patient. To help track your results, take a “before” photo when you start a new routine or using new products and then take weekly “after” photos so you can see evidence of your skin's transformation. If a product seems less effective, consider whether changes in age, lifestyle, environment, or seasonal changes may be affecting your skin. Try taking a break from your regimen for a few weeks to see how your skin responds. Because skin is hydrated primarily from the outside, evaluate your environment and adapt your products accordingly.

Although you might not see the same rapid progress you enjoyed in the first few weeks or month, it doesn't mean the products have stopped working. Your skin may have reached its maximum benefit and be in maintenance mode while the products quietly sustain those initial benefits at a more optimal level. Ultimately, don't switch from a routine or products that work well for your skin. Remember, consistency is key to achieving great results.

There are a few instances when you may truly become resistant to a particular ingredient. Some topical steroids that are used for skin irritations and conditions like eczema, may lose efficacy over time. The benefits of retinoids and benzoyl peroxide can also level off. It’s not that they're not performing as well; rather, the fine lines and acne that these ingredients treat have improved, so further changes seem less dramatic. With time, anti dandruff shampoos can lose strength too, but there is no medical consensus as to why this happens.

Switching Up Your Skincare Routine

Switching up your skincare routine every few months or yearly is not necessary, but you may want to target specific issues as you get older, such as hyperpigmentation, melasma, acne, fine lines, wrinkles, dehydrated skin, and loss of collagen. Environmental factors and seasonal changes can cause your skin to react differently, where you may want to use different products or add/take away a product depending on the time of year. For example, regularly switching between retinoids and AHA products may help collagen improvement by different mechanisms, but using both products together may actually be too irritating for your skin.

I often get asked how I always keep my skin in great condition. Depending on the time of year, my skin changes mostly due to seasonal factors. For me personally, my skin responds rather well to switching up my routine depending on what time of year it is. However, I've found that using products within one brand to address my different issues and seasonal changes works best to keep it glowing all year long since those products were created in concentrations to work together. I haven't become immune to my products so to speak, but I've adapted to environmental and seasonal changes that have an effect on my skin's needs and adjust accordingly using different products under one brand.

Make sure that you're using the product exactly as directed and that if there is an expiration date, it hasn't passed. Ingredients can start to degrade after the use-by date and exposure to light can also reduce product efficacy. Ask yourself whether the product has achieved what it was supposed to. You may have reached a point where any further improvement is so subtle, it's almost impossible to detect. Managing your expectations is key.

Your skin's needs may change from time to time just like mine do. For example, if you are stressed out, your skin may be depleted of more vitamins than usual, increasing your need for more. It's not that your skin is used to the products. It's that your needs are different based on lifestyle, environmental changes, etc. Even though skincare products don't stop working, you may feel the need to try something new. This is okay. It is perfectly fine to do something different to change up your routine, but be careful of shocking your skin too much or too often. Stay with a brand or products that work really well for your skin.

What's your current skincare routine? Are you happy with the products you're using? Are you looking for better results? I would love to hear from you.