The Five P’s to Maximising Your Skincare Results

The way our skin looks can be a major confidence killer. In our younger years we seem to take our skin for granted as premature aging creeps up on us. One day we’re feeling gorgeous and living life with hydrated, plump skin and that golden tanned glow, and before we know it, our face is starting to look more like the Grand Canyon, with more cracks and crevasses and strange brown patches then we ever thought possible. While it may be tempting to book in to peel your whole face off to start again, or to book for a one-off laser rejuvenation session, long-term results require more than just a one-off treatment. When thinking about skin treatments we have to remember the five keys to success otherwise known as the five P’s: Patience, Persistence, Products, Prevention and Professionals.

Patience:
Skin, as an organ, takes time to physically change and improve the way we want it to. Especially if the damage we are trying to fix has accumulated over a course of many years. It’s not going to take 3 months to fix 15 years of damage. While marketing and various companies claim that you’ll see “visible results from the first use,” or even after a week, generally, depending on your age it will take at least 3 months for our skin to even begin to show results. While some products such as moisturisers and cleansers may do their job from the get-go, other products such as serums and any active ingredients who’s goal it is to effect changes to the skin at a cellular level, need longer to take effect and offer any noticeable differences. There’re also many factors that determine how quickly your skin will improve or start to change. These include genetics, alcohol consumption or smoking habits, occupation, other medical conditions, medications and general health just to name a few. These factors not only influence how fast your skin can improve but also the time it takes for your skin to heal, and how your skin heals from any treatments done in clinic such as; skin needling, peels or laser treatments. While it might seem like it’s taking months for your skin to start showing any progress, patience is truly a virtue with regards to anything involving your skin. ​​

Persistence:
Persistence goes hand in hand with patience. There is no point expecting a drastic result within 2 weeks and then giving up when nothing seems to be happening. Being persistent and regimented in your home care plan will guarantee the best results possible from any skin treatments you’re having in clinic.

Products:
Using the correct products that are well formulated with quality ingredients and that have an efficient delivery system of those ingredients to ensure they make it to where they need to go, will make the biggest difference to your skin. Homecare is where the majority of skin health comes from and also assists in supporting and enhancing any treatments performed in clinic. I like to imagine it similarly to going to the gym (scary I know). If you were to go to the gym everyday but then go home and continue to eat Macca’s for every meal, you’re probably not going to see much progress. This is exactly the same as if you were to have skin treatments every month in clinic, but then continue to use the incorrect products at home, you’re not going to see much progress. Or at least not as much progress as you would see without the correct home care. Even if you have skin treatments weekly, during that week you will still use your homecare products 14 times vs one treatment in clinic. Choosing homecare can be a daunting and complicated process. There is so much hype and clever marketing in the skincare industry, with thousands of professional brands on the market. However, here at Skin Geraldton, having done countless hours of research and chatting to industry professionals, we’re proud stockists of Ultraceuticals products. Ultraceuticals is one of the best brands on the market, with every product containing the highest quality ingredients and undergoing clinical trials (on babes only, no animals) to ensure that they will provide real visible results after 90 days of consistent use. We know that not only are these products of great quality, with clinically proven ingredients; but their real star power comes from their mastery of formulation and effective delivery systems, which deliver those delicate ingredients to the deeper layers of the skin where they’re needed, in the most stable and bio-available form possible, so that they can actually be utilised by the cells.

Prevention:
Prevention is better than cure, and this is never truer when it comes to skin health. Taking certain preventative measures is the best action possible to help maintain youthful and healthy skin for the long haul. Now before you start thinking, “Well it’s too late for me now!” Hold on a minute because it’s never too late to help prevent further damage and stop existing damage from getting any worse. Prevention comes in many forms however one of the easiest ways to prevent premature aging, is to simply remember to ‘slip, slop, slap.’ While the famous slogan has been around for longer than I’ve been alive, it’s definitely not just a catchy phrase. Not only does sunscreen and covering up decrease the risk of skin cancers; 90% of our skins extrinsic aging, which is the aging caused by external factors, is caused by UV exposure from the sun. What this unfortunately means for all the sun bunnies out there, is accumulative damage that equates to more wrinkles, blotchy brown patches and skin structure damage that results in sagging. Certain medications, skincare products and treatments in clinic can also make your skin more sensitive to the sun and so sunscreen is essential, as without it you might be undermining all the good you have been doing for your skin and could actually be worsening your original concerns. For more info on why sunscreen is so important in your skincare routine check out our other blog post below.
Other products such as vitamin A, B and C serums, as well as antioxidant creams and many more, can also help to prevent aging from occurring prematurely or to prevent other things such as acne or congestion from forming altogether. The best thing to do is to come and see us for a consultation so we assess your unique skin requirements and devise the best plan of action to suit you and your concerns.

And that my friends, brings us to the last P, professionals. Luckily, we’re not just pretty faces, and we’ve studied for many years to help you get the best results possible. As skin therapists we live, breath and dream (literally) about skin and are continually keeping up-to-date with the latest research, training techniques and industry knowledge to ensure that we provide you with the best possible advice, products and treatments available. One of our biggest prides in life is making you to feel confident and fabulous in your own skin. Truthfully, nobody wants your skin to look better than we do. And trust us, nobody has more questions or is more scrutinizing of whether treatments and/or products offer real results with scientific evidence or whether they’re just a load of marketing than us. We’re also always the first guineapigs testing out any new treatments and products, so if we offer it in the clinic then you can bet your bottom dollar, we’ve tried it and loved it first. So, if you’re stuck in a bit of a skin rut or your skin seems to be looking a little worse for wear, come and see us for a chat so we can help you out.

​- Complexions x