Have you ever heard of skin acclimation?
Trying out new skin care products or active ingredients could come with mixed emotions of excitement, anxiety, doubt, and hope. Especially if you are about to try something new that promises to take care of skin concerns you have been battling with for a long time.
The active ingredients in clinical skincare wake up skin cell function, kickstarting processes like cell turnover, which leads to some redness, flaking, or purging as skin adjusts.
This is skin acclimation.
What is Skin Acclimation?
The average cell turnover cycle is 30 to 45 days. Active Ingredients like Retinol, alpha hydroxy acids, and Salicylic acid accelerate cell turnover causing cells to slough off more quickly and new cells to come to the surface faster. This is the acclimation phase (also known as skin purging) during which your skin is getting used to a new product.
The appearance of temporary flakiness or redness or breakouts that accompanies this process is a sign that your skin cells are being activated.
This marks the beginning of improved tone and smooth texture and once your skin finally acclimates you will see a much more noticeable result in the product you are using.
Welcome to the part of active skincare, where things sometimes look worse before they look radiant!
Acclimation and Skin Irritation
Action brings about reaction.
This is something you need to keep in mind when applying skincare. Not all skincare products stimulate the cellular changes that lead to an acclimation phase, but to bring real improvement in tone and texture, acclimation is required.
Sometimes things must get worse before they get better.
Tingling, Mild redness. Slight dryness and flaking are normal effects of skin acclimation. However, if your skin is stinging, if redness is more inflamed than rosy, if skin feels dry and tight, if the breakouts are popping out like crazy, you need to give your skin a chance to catch up.
You need to stay in close contact with us so we can help you manage your clear skin journey. It may be something as simple as reducing your usage to once every other day or even as low as once/twice a week to gradually ramp back up to daily use.
Just remember: It’s not the product breaking you out but the process of cell turnover drawing out acne that were already forming under the surface without you knowing.
Breakouts and Skin Acclimation
Accelerating the cell turnover cycle means pimples already forming under the skin get pulled to the surface faster. This purging can make it seem like you’re experiencing a sudden flare, but relax, it’s just the products doing their work. The good news is the breakout will be less severe, quicker, and less likely to recur if you stick to your routine.
However, there is a difference between your skin breaking out and your skin purging. Read more about purging here.
How Long Does the Skincare Acclimation Period Last?
There is no definite answer.
It depends on the product and your skin. If your skin is already conditioned to active ingredients and you’re just bumping up a level or trying a new product, acclimation may only last about 2 weeks or less. If you are new to active skincare, it could last between 4 to 6 weeks.
In general. It makes sense to use a product for at least one month before deciding if it’s working or not. One month is the average time it takes for a completely natural cycle of turnover. Stop it sooner and you won’t get a true picture of your results.
Once you stop seeing the signs of acclimation, you are in maintenance mode. Your skin is still benefiting and if you are comfortable with the results you are getting, you can stay at this level to maintain your results. But if you want to push your results farther, it’s time to move up.
3 Tips for Managing Acclimation
Not sure if you’re on track? Have product or acclimation questions? Schedule a consultation with us and we can help you! There are three simple tips for managing your skincare transformation and they are:
1. When you introduce your skin to new active ingredients or products, start slowly to avoid overstimulating your skin.
2. Begin usage every other day and gradually increase to daily application.
3. If your skin feels irritated, drop back to every other day, and gradually work up again to daily application.
The Bottom Line
Sometimes our memory doesn’t quite do us justice.
It’s always a good idea to take photos before starting a new routine or product. Be sure to take several photos in good lighting, then recreate these exact photos, in one month, at the same time of day and at the same angles. If you don’t see a difference, then it’s time to begin rethinking your routine!
Schedule a consultation with us and we will help you get on track with your clear skin journey.
Cheers to clear!
Rene