The Plateau Effect Explained

Ever wondered why some skin care seems great at first, but then just stops working for you after a while?

I come across this a lot during consultations with clients where I ask what line they're currently on. A lot of people will say "Well I'm using this (insert name here) brand and I actually really liked it at first, but now my skin has gone back to the way it was before. It's frustrating, nothing seems to work for me in the long term."

Some people get so fed up they stop using skin care all together and go back to plain old water and moisturizer while all the ghosts of their skin care past take up the space under their bathroom sink.
You're even picturing the exact cupboard all your old skin care is sitting in and collecting dust right now, aren't you?

It's alright...we've all done it, and we all have that cupboard!

No, you're not just imagining the lack of results. The skin plateaus since the skin care being used isn't made to progress the skin any further.

It's sort of like if you started a workout routine at the gym...10 minutes of cardio and 30 minutes of light weights...but did only that for the next 5 years.
Sure, you might notice an improvement in your fitness or muscle tone at first but without progressing to a more intense program to fit your new and improved level of fitness, you're never going to see anything more.

It's the same idea with your skin.
Most of us know there are 2 main layers to the skin. The dermis and epidermis. What you may not know is there are even more layers within these.
The epidermis is actually made up of 5 different layers and contrary to popular belief, it is very much alive. The only layer of the epidermis that is dead is the very top layer called the Stratum Corneum.

The dermis is made up of 2 different layers and is just above the layer of fat tissue, or subcutaneous tissue.

So without getting too far into the anatomy of the skin, my point is the skin is alive and is our barrier to the outside world. Beyond that it has many more jobs like heat regulation, sensation, secretion, excretion and absorption.

To do all those things properly it needs to be nourished, like any other part of our body does.
The skin needs vitamins, antioxidants and peptides (just to name a few) to function at its best.

But if you only ever feed your skin the same concentration/dosage of these things, it will never continue to improve. You will always plateau.
This is why so many people bounce around from one line to another. They're desperately trying to find something new to keep the results going, but unfortunately this chase usually ends in frustration and in money not-so-well spent.

Enter Environ!!!!

This is one of the reasons Environ has their unique step-up system.
They make different concentrations of their corrective serums and moisturizers to keep the improvements going and going.

Using the Youth-EssentiA C-Quence Serums (my all time favourite) as an example...you start on level 1 and it goes all the way up to 5.
Each serum lasts about three months so the skin has time to adjust to the dosage, improve, become stronger and repeat with each step up! This way you're constantly seeing positive changes.

...and I know what you're thinking, "What about when you get to level 5? Won't you just plateau at that point?"

NOOOO! That's the wonderful, amazing, ingeniousness that is Environ!!

Once you move up to the higher levels in the serums, you can start to add in Retinol (which also comes in two different levels) to further improve.

Now this is where it gets sort of tricky.

Since one of the very important jobs of the skin is to be our protection and barrier...when you make it stronger through vitamin therapy like this, it naturally becomes increasingly difficult for the vitamins and other nourishment in topical products to penetrate into the skin where it needs to be.

This is where cosmetic needling comes in!
I know, sounds sort of scary right? I promise it's really not!!

Environ makes a cosmetic needling device that you use at home for this very reason. Now that the skin has become so resilient and strong, we need to find a way to continue getting all the nourishment in the right place.

Imagine a miniature paint roller, except on the rolling head you have 0.1mm tiny needles.
They're only big enough to open microscopic pathways in the superficial layers of the skin so all the active ingredients applied afterwards, can get inside!

Even looking at the roller up close in person, it can be difficult to see the tiny needles at all. It sort of feels scratchy on the skin and can leave the face a little flushed for a few minutes afterwards, but that's only due to drawing extra blood flow to the area.
In case you're wondering, no! It does not cause any pin point bleeding at all! You'd have to use a roller with needles about 1mm in length to make that happen (just to give you a comparison).


In conclusion, that solves the on going mystery of why the initial improvement from typical skin care never seems to last. It's just not made to do anything more.

So, maybe it's time to switch over to something that will actually work for you in the long term and won't ever leave you feeling disappointed!!

Just sayin'!


To book a consultation with me text or call 403 991 1663, message me on Instagram @lauras_lasers or email at lauraslasers@gmail.com