Are you experiencing certain skin reactions when starting on a DR’s Secret routine?
More than just providing skin maintenance, our products are formulated to bring effective change – visible results. This is done by boosting our skin cell renewal rate, which is why changes may be felt after using the products for a period of time.
3 skin reactions commonly experienced by new users
Below we give scientific insight into 3 skin reactions that are more commonly experienced by new users. This will equip you with a deeper understanding of what your skin is going through.
1. Experiencing more pimples or breakouts at the start
This phenomenon is known as “purging”. It may or may not happen to most people, but those with acne-prone skin tend to experience this more.
People with dry, dull or acne skin are more prone to having skin cells accumulating in the deeper layer of the skin’s surface. This forms invisible blocked follicles – clogged pores beneath the skin, also known as microcomedones.
Furthermore, these skin conditions tend to lack moisture. This further slows down the rate of healthy skin cell renewal. With lesser new cells produced, older cells do not get pushed up to the skin surface and take a longer time to shed.
Purging is a common occurrence that happens when we start using products with ingredients that encourage skin cell turnover.
These ingredients penetrate into the stratum corneum and break bonds that hold the accumulated skin cells together. This pushes the microcomedones to rise to the surface, resulting in what you might observe as a breakout.
DR’s Secret products contain ingredients that help to increase the skin renewal rate and exfoliate dead skin cells so that new cells can be brought to the surface.
That is why purging may be experienced by some during this phase. Depending on your skin condition, purging should eventually subdue over a period of few days to months with continuous use.
2. Experiencing skin redness
Skin redness is a common occurrence for those with sensitive skin. Sensitive skin types have lower ceramide and moisture content in the skin surface than healthy skin. This disrupts the function of the skin barrier and causes the skin to be weakened.
Sensitive skin types usually have a lower tolerance towards external stimuli, including topical skin care.
Therefore, people with sensitive skin might notice itchiness, stinging or tightness when introduced to new products or stimuli.
When using DR’s Secret, those with sensitive skin should start with a conditioning routine of gentle and soothing products that help to strengthen the skin barrier and reduce skin inflammation.
To start, we recommend using Cleanser 1, Moisturizer 6, Refining Serum 9 and Sunscreen 5 to help your skin ease into the products.
If you have non-sensitive skin but experience skin redness, this could be a result of increased blood circulation that causes more blood flow to the skin. As the skin is being nourished (especially after using Toner T2, Skinlight T3 or Skinrecon T4), a pinkish or reddish tone might occur, but it should go away in a couple of hours.
3. Skin that looks more dull than usual
Products that contain exfoliants help to encourage skin cell turnover at the deeper level of the skin surface. This does not immediately remove the dead skin cells that have accumulated at the top of the skin surface.
The surge in your skin’s renewal rate causes dead skin cells to build up, giving the impression of a dull or darker looking appearance.
Give it a few months for the skin renewal process to be completed. You may use physical exfoliants like Miraglo to remove the dead skin cells buildup. Use it once a week or once a month for sensitive skin to avoid over-exfoliating the skin.
Most of these skin reactions occur due to insufficient moisture in the skin and a weakened or damaged skin barrier. That is why we often encourage new users to work on conditioning, hydrating and strengthening the skin barrier first before going on to more intensive treatment routines.
Should you experience any skin reactions or discomfort when using intensive treatment routines or products, always stop the use of intensive treatment products. Revert to a simple conditioning and hydrating routine.
We encourage you to check with your skin buddy for more tips and guidance on how to use the products for best results.