You’ve finally figured out what skincare products to use, you feel great. Your skin is glowy. Well, almost glowy. Kind of glowy? On a good day after a great night’s sleep? Ok, maybe it’s doing pretty great but you don’t want to add in any new products right now, so you’re willing to accept it.
It turns out that there are some very common anti-aging skincare mistakes that most of us make, and they can be easily corrected!
1. Changing Products Too Quickly
It takes a minimum of 6-8 weeks, sometimes even up to 3-6 months for a product to really show it’s full benefits.
This means you’ll sometimes have to repurchase a product before it has shown how well it can work, and that often means you’ll be picking something else. Give your products time to work before moving on to something else.
2. Your Products are Causing Irritation
No pain no gain, right? Maybe that was true for Jane Fonda, but it definitely is not true for anti-aging skincare! Redness and irritation is your skin’s way of telling you that it is time to back off. If your skin treatment is causing pain or tingling when you apply it, it is time to find a new product. In the long run irritation and inflammation will speed up the aging process. Look for products that won’t irritate your skin, or space out the use of products that irritate your skin. If your retinoid cream causes irritation, try using it every other night instead of every night.
3. Your Products Can’t Absorb Into Your Skin
Are you applying your skincare in the right order? It turns out that application order makes a big difference in how well your expensive serums and creams can absorb into your skin. If your serum is sitting on the surface of your skin instead of sinking down into it then it can’t do its job.
4. You’re Tanning
One of the biggest premature agers of your skin is sun exposure. It causes fine lines, wrinkles and areas of hyperpigmentation. Protect your skin from the sun with a full spectrum sunscreen instead. If you still want a golden glow reach for a sunless self tanner instead (here are my favorite self tanner application tips).
5. You Spent Too Much Money
It’s a common myth that the more expensive products are more effective. That may have been true 10-15 years ago, but many of the more advanced skin care ingredients have found their way to the drugstore aisle. You can find effective skin care products at much more affordable prices.
6. You’re Not Applying Your Products in the Right Order
If you’re applying your skincare in a random order, you need to stop. There’s a method to applying skincare, and following the correct order will ensure that each product can fully penetrate into your skin and do its job. Learn more about how to apply your skin care in the right order.
7. You’re Not Using a Retinoid
These Vitamin A derivatives are the gold standard for anti-aging. They’re actually multi-purpose, they will help acne, improve your skin’s texture, reduce areas of hyperpigmentation and even reverse fine lines and wrinkles! You can learn more about how retinoids work in skin care, tips for getting the most out of your retinoid cream and why you should use an over the counter retinoid.
Check out more anti-aging skincare information and reviews in my guide!
I’m a doctor, a mommy and a bit of a beauty addict. If you let me, I can take 2 hours to get ready in the morning. Really. I'm on a quest for faster beauty that works!
I’d also add not removing makeup at the end of the day. It takes only a few minutes each night to remove your makeup and leave your skin feeling fresh and ready for the next morning.