Starting a new skincare routine or product?

When you start a new skincare regime or introduce new product(s) in your regime, you should not expect immediate results or improvement. It may take 4 weeks to 3 months to see noticeable improvements in your skin. This is because it takes on average 28 days for your skin to naturally shed dead “adult” skin cells, or for “cell turnover” to take place. In fact the process can take an estimated 28 days in a middle-aged adult. However, as we grow older, the skin cycle slows to about 45-60 days in our 40’s and 50’s. It can further slow to about 60-90 days in our 50’s and 60’s. In doing this, new skin cells from the deepest layer of the epidermis are “born”. Keep in mind, aside from aging, there are other factors that can slow the cell turnover rate, such as unhealthy lifestyle habits, i.e. smoking and poor diet. After the age of 20 we start to lose 1-2% of our collagen per year. Over time, collagen and elastin decline, so the skin gets thinner and has a tougher time getting enough moisture to the epidermis. At about the same time, the fat in the subcutaneous layer (which gives skin a plump, firm appearance) also begins to disappear, the epidermis begins to sag, and wrinkles form.