Recently, we went on a mission to find out if hair can become immune to hair-care products, as in, can it get so used to a shampoo or conditioner that the formula stops working or providing the intended results. Which got us thinking about skin-care products. Does repeated use of the same face wash, eye cream or serum cause our skin to become immune to it? Perhaps we need to switch up our products or give our skin a break in order to keep the product effective and our skin firm, with less wrinkles or even with less breakouts.
Some women believe they need to change up their regimen every few months, in order to keep their skin-care products effective, but New York dermatologist Neal Schultz, MD, says this should not be necessary. “It’s very unusual for your skin to ‘get used to’ the beneficial effects of skin-care products,” he says. “When the active ingredients in your products are giving you the results and improvement you want, there’s no reason for the active ingredients in that product to stop giving you the same result. Unless, of course, the condition you’re treating changes.”
While your skin won’t get used to a certain skin-care product, it can get accustomed to and even eventually accommodate some of the potentially irritating ingredients, like glycolic acid and retinol. That’s why many dermatologists will start with low doses of an exfoliant and gradually increase the potency to avoid potential irritation.
Smithtown, NY, dermatologist Marina Peredo, MD, says it is also important to alter skin-care routines with seasonal changes-applying more sunscreen during the summer months when you are outside and switching from a serum to a cream in the winter to accommodate drier weather.
