How long should you give a topical treatment?
Hardly anyone is lucky enough to pick up their first acne product and experience lasting clear skin. Unfortunately, it’s usually a long story of trying one treatment after another, with too many acne sufferers ending up either settling for mediocre results (the “it’s better than nothing” mentality) or giving up altogether on finding an acne treatment that works for them. Finding the best treatment can feel like a catch-22, as you don’t want to quit a new treatment before it gets a chance to work, but you also don’t want to waste money when a product isn’t giving results. I’m going to stick to topical acne treatments for today’s post.
There’s no hard rule about how long you should give an acne treatment to work, but there are time averages that will prove true for most people.
Topical acne products are the treatments you apply right to your skin. They tend to be helpful for eliminating current acne blemishes, but provide little in the way of prevention. The easiest topical products to judge are spot treatments, as they either work or they don’t, and you’ll usually know within days. Strong spot treatments should be able to diminish blemishes within 24 hours. It’s always wise to test them for a few days though. Even if you see improvement, it’s sometimes hard to tell whether this change is actually thanks to the product or not (placebo effect). Try a spot treatment for 4 days to a week. If you’re not confident it’s consistently having an effect on the spots you apply it to, don’t waste any more money.
Other topical products, such as creams and cleansers that are meant to be applied all over the skin rather than simply on acne spots, may take a little longer to judge. Here’s the key: If a product gives no irritation, you should be able to judge whether it helps or not within 3 weeks. If you experience light irritation, stick with it for at least 6 weeks. This is because some chemicals may require time for your skin to adjust to them. Light irritation will usually go away after a short time, and it is after this when you can really judge the effectiveness of these products (you may have to endure an initial breakout). If a product is strongly irritating your skin, you probably shouldn’t be using it all. Overly strong products can do real damage to your skin that’s simply not worth it for any temporary benefits they may bring. If your skin cells are frequently inflamed, you’re going to be more prone to new acne outbreaks.
Ingredients are important, but the fact is that skin sensitivity is not universal. Some people will find benzoyl peroxide more abrasive than salicylic acid, while others will find the opposite. As such, go with (and learn from) your own skin’s reaction. Always make sure to follow all instructions for applying a new treatment. You’re only cheating yourself if you skip days and don’t apply a product as directed. With any acne treatment, it’s especially important that your daily regimen is consistent during those first few weeks. Also, don’t be fooled by topical treatments that keep telling you to wait another month. It’s not like you’ll be absorbing considerable vitamins and minerals via your skin. These products smear on, and 99% of their ingredients are washed off when you rinse. As their benefit seldom extends beyond the time they are applied, you shouldn’t need to wait months hoping for a miracle. On the other hand, some internal acne treatments may work in this manner, but I’ll save those for next time.
