FAN MAIL FRIDAYS: My Skin Care Products Are Not Working Anymore

Hey! Hey! Happy Friday! I'm bedridden today due to cold, cough, and a fever, but that ain't gonna stop me from delivering our latest Fan Mail Fridays post for today! :)

The question is from Melanie:

Hi The Beauty Junkee! 

Great blog you have right in here. I'm all about skin care and I find your skin care features and reviews very helpful. I wish you could review/feature more. :) 

My question is: does skin stop responding to skin care products or vice versa? I'm using Estee Lauder's Advanced Night Repair Serum and it worked fantastically after 2 weeks of usage so I bought another bottle as back up. 3 1/2 months into my usage and my skin stopped improving with it-no negative reactions though. Right now, it just serves as a hydrating moisturizer and I feel bad because it's too expensive for a moisturizer, and I bought it for reasons other than that. And I have a fresh back up! Hope you can shed some light on this. I'd be truly grateful for your response.

Melanie

Photo Credits: acra-med.com

Hi Melanie!

Love your question! Regarding the skin care reviews/features request, I try my best to use all my skin care products on hand, but I only have one face. Besides, skin care products take time to produce results. I've been wanting to put up initial impression reviews on skin care, but I don't like that-if I'll write a review for any skin care product, I want to show my results and I want to say a lot of substantial stuff about it.

Back to your dilemma. Both statements are true, that skin may stop responding to skin care products and skin care products may stop responding to skin for the following reasons. After the jump, you'll find out.

Your skin will stop responding to skin care products simply because:

1. It gets immune to the ingredients in your skin care products. This is why it is recommended to stop using your favorite product/line after at least three months, use another brand for a month, then go back to it. This, of course, will vary depending on how your skin reacts to a specific product. If your skin is still responding, keep on using. If not, then it's time for a change of heart.

2. Your skin type evolves as you age. Surprising, isn't it? You may have oily skin now, but as you age, it will evolve to say, dry skin. If you've been using a specific skin care line for years already and you think they're not as effective as they used to, consult with a dermatologist to know exactly if there have been any changes with your skin type and so that you will know what specific skin care products to buy next.

3.Your skin will not produce the same effects. The change you'll experience will be really breathtaking during the first few weeks of usage, but it won't be as dramatic any longer after a long time.

4. Climate also affects skin, especially climate change. If you grew up in a warm country and all of a sudden, you move to a cold place, your skin will go into adaptation mode and undergo a series of tweaking and changing for survival, rendering your current skin care products ineffective.

5. You're not using the right skin care products for your skin type. 'Nuff said.

6. Hormonal change, especially in women, will affect the way skin reacts to a product.

7. Lastly, your lifestyle can greatly alter your skin. If you've been smoking, drinking, sleeping too late every night, or consistently stressed out, it may cause your skin to react violently by breaking out, becoming dry and rough, or become uneven. Such effects may require you to change your routine or incorporate new products in it.

And here are just three reasons why your skin care will stop responding/not respond to your skin:

1. Your products are expired. Make it a point to check the expiry date. If the expiry date is not printed on the box or bottle, use the product within 1 year after opening. For organic products, the safest would be 6 months.

2. You changed your skin care products/brand, but the active ingredients are still the same. Your skin becomes immune to the ingredients, not the brand. Keep looking.

3. Your skin doesn't really respond to a specific active ingredient. In my case, my skin heals better with Salicylic Acid than Tea Tree or Crownwood Fern.

That's all y'all! I hope you've found my answers substantial. Happy weekend! :)

**Got a burning question about makeups, skin care products, beauty, dieting, and health tips, relationships, and whatever? Just send them to martha.stabarbara@yahoo.com or shoot 'em up at The Beauty Junkee's FB Fan Page via the MESSAGE button and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. (Please, do not send me Math- related queries. :D)