Factors Affecting Skin Care Product Performance

Most skin care brands classify products into 4 categories: oily/acne prone skin, normal skin, dry skin and sensitive or aging skin.

However a lot of times I find that products meant for dry skin on the market do nothing for me.

I know a lot of girls with acne who go through the same maze, trying product after product as recommended by friends as Holy Grail, but find them of little help.

I got thinking on what causes us to experience these products differently.

1. Skin Type: The most important factor, a lot of us actually don't really know our skin type. A professional consultation with a dermatologist might be of help here. Also our skin type rarely stays constant over the months and years.

I used to have extremely oily, acne prone skin until 2 years back. As I began spending more and more time in AC Environments and also crossed 25, my skin has started to show some dryness. I don't get acne anymore, I get dry patches during winters. During monsoons, my skin becomes as normal as possible, I can get away without using a moisturiser, but not during winters.

Observe your skin, it is a very dynamic organ and does have changing needs.

2. Skin Hydration and Lifestyle: I have noticed that skin that is well hydrated, often responds to creams and lotions far better. An easy tip to increase skin hydration is to use a facial mist/toner. Skin that is not exfoliated regularly, will also have an overload of dead cells which will prevent the cream from penetrating.

If your diet is low on anti-oxidants and vitamins, and your lifestyle sedentary it is bound to show on your face.

3. Environment: Do you live in a high humidity environment, then you will find creams that take a while to absorb, very sticky. The same cream in a low humidity environment feels absolutely fine. Similarly if you spend the entire day in A/C, your skin hydration is bound to be lower, unless you take care. Water too has a huge role to play in the health of our skin & hair. Pollution will block your pores and give you black & white heads, even if you have dry skin.

4. Product Ingredients: Since our skin chemistry is determined by our genetics and is therefore so individual, it stands to reason that certain products may not suit our skin because of ingredient allergies.

5. Source of the problem: Not all issues have the same source, for example acne may be caused by a number of reasons like hormonal imbalance, lack of Vitamin A, toxins in the body, bacterial infection, pollution, improper cleaning etc. Similarly dry skin may have its roots in a variety of reasons like general dehydration of the body, use of harsh/oil stripping products, spending too much time in an A/C environment, lesser number of oil glands, etc.

Knowing the cause can help you find the right product for your skin.

6. Not using the product properly: Most of us are sensible enough to read the directions before using any product. However at times a brand may skip the directions, or we may in our eagerness use too much or not use the product as per directions. In such cases the product may either not perform at all or worse, an adverse reaction can occur.

These were some of the reasons that I know of, that might be responsible for a product not working as well as the girl - next - door, for you.

What have been your observations?

Comments

  1. So true Tanveer..find my skin always needs a bit of this and a bit of that kind of product. It never fits into any one category properly!

    ReplyDelete
  2. you are absolutely correct.My skin to a lot of extent is normal but becomes dry in winter and lil bit oily in monsoon.Thanks for your comment...Love reading your posts.They are very interesting and informative.

    ReplyDelete
  3. oh my god its so true. this post is really good. love readin 'em. do visit my blog. take care

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great article Tanz..I face the same thing..some time dry some times oily and I have crossed 25th but still have acne all the time..

    ReplyDelete

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