Why a Consistent Skin Care Routine Is Important
Skincare can feel a little more like work than it should – especially when the skincare landscape is so prone to change. Many of us are stuck in a vicious and often expensive cycle of jumping from product to product, in a vain effort to find new effective treatments or follow popular trends on social media, but this can do more harm to our skin than good.
It’s easy to lose sight of what all these products are actually for, when faddish skincare products land on your timeline and glowing celebrities with glowing celebrity endorsements sway your wallet. Vacillating between different skincare regimes can make for a problematic skincare journey, when dermatologists actually recommend consistency in skin care – which can offer cumulative benefits over time. Here we’ll explore in more detail the whys of a consistent skincare regimen, as well as the benefits it can provide your skin.
1. Builds and Supports the Skin Barrier Over Time
The skin barrier is a crucial consideration for any skincare regimen, being the first line of defence against external and environmental factors that impact your skin and body. A healthy skin barrier is better-prepared to guard against injury, infection and the encroachment of UV rays; its health is reinforced by the regular use of gentle cleansers, hydrating agents, and barrier-repair ingredients. But failure to keep regular with your usage of such products can result in disruption, leading to more irritation, sensitivity, or breakouts.
2. Amplifies Cumulative Benefits of Active Ingredients
Consistency is also of vital importance for any benefits related to active ingredients in certain skincare products. Actives like antioxidants, acids, vitamin C and retinoids don’t give the instant results that many users might initially expect; their effects are the result of regular use over time, bringing cumulative change to your skin. Retinol skin care gives you control over tone and texture – but only as a result of consistent long-term use which enables the retinol to boost collagen production.
3. Helps to Track Progress
Another compelling reason to take skincare consistency seriously is the ability it gives you to properly track your skincare journey. In hopping around from product to product, you have no idea which products are actually providing the effects you desire; a consistent routine gives you a stable baseline to figure out not only which products truly help or hurt, but also to what extent the products that help are helping over time. There are clinical reports demonstrating the efficacy of actives like retinol, but sometimes the proof is better coming from inside the house!
4. Helps With Long-Term Skin Health (Aging, Pigmentation, Resilience)
Lastly, a consistent routine is a vote for longevity. By keeping up a routine, you are more likely to improve your long-term skin health where other, more fickle skincare routines cause lapses in coverage. Cumulative damage caused by UV exposure, for example, is mitigated by the regular use of products with a high SPF.
