Using active ingredients like Azelaic Acid can be rewarding. However, if you’re looking to see immediate results when you change your skincare routine, you might be disappointed.
Most skincare ingredients don’t work instantaneously. If you’re looking for dramatic results from Azelaic Acid, let’s break down how long you’ll have to wait for the skin of your dreams.
What Does Azelaic Acid Work Best For?
Azelaic Acid can help clear buildup and debris lingering in your pores by sloughing away dead skin cells and rejuvenating skin.
When you pair Azelaic Acid’s ability to exfoliate your skin with its natural cleansing abilities, you’ll see that it is a great ingredient for breakouts and blemishes, but also for making sure your skin gets the cleanse it deserves at the end of a long day.
So, how do you incorporate Azelaic Acid into your skincare regimen? At the very start!
Our Ginger Turmeric Cleansing Balm is formulated with the gentle exfoliating power of Lactic Acid and Azelaic Acid.
While the wrong cleanser can do more harm than good and leave your skin barrier damaged and your skin thirsty due to harsh surfactants like sulfates, our Ginger Turmeric Cleansing Balm uses only the good stuff.
Yucca Extract helps to melt away makeup, sunscreen, and dirt without harming sensitive skin, while Oat and Argan Oils help restore moisture. We finish the formulation with Mango and Avocado Butters to lock in moisture so you’re left with supple, soft, and perfectly clean skin.
How Does Azelaic Acid Work?
Azelaic Acid is an extremely gentle chemical exfoliant. If your skin has struggled to adapt to harsher active ingredients such as Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs), Retinol, or Beta Hydroxy Acids (BHAs), using Azelaic Acid might be a great alternative.
This is because Azelaic Acid is not an AHA or a BHA. Although it has similar benefits, its molecular structure is different, so it interacts with your skin cells differently.
This means that even those with sensitive skin are typically able to use Azelaic Acid. However, if your skin is unusually reactive, you may want to consult a dermatologist before you start using a new skincare product.
Azelaic Acid can help support brighter-looking skin by sloughing off dead skin cells and clearing away buildup from your pores. This is big news because dead skin cell buildup and irritated pores can lead to visible signs of premature aging.
This skincare ingredient also has natural cleansing and soothing properties. Since most chemical exfoliants can leave your skin sore and sensitized, the fact that Azelaic Acid can soothe irritation while still exfoliating your skin makes it a further good option for those with sensitive skin.
Azelaic Acid may also help reduce the appearance of dark spots and sun spots. When your skin cells get stressed, they often respond by ramping up melanin production. This is often why freckles show up after UV radiation exposure or why dark spots can show up on pigmented skin after using a harsh skincare product.
However, Azelaic Acid supports clear and even-looking skin, meaning it might be your new best friend if dark spots are your main skin concern.
Are There Side Effects?
Generally, Azelaic Acid is pretty gentle on your skin and isn’t associated with any serious side effects. Azelaic Acid is actually a naturally occurring molecule typically found in grains like barley, wheat, or rye — though it’s more likely to be synthetically produced for skincare products because the synthetic version of Azelaic Acid tends to be more stable and better for topical use.
That said, using Azelaic Acid can sometimes cause mild irritation like itching, burning, stinging, tingling, tenderness, and dryness.
It’s always good to patch test stronger ingredients before applying them to your face to ensure you don’t have any allergies or particular negative reactions.
You can conduct a patch test by applying the skincare product to a small area of skin, like the wrist or the neck. If you see irritation, we recommend consulting your dermatologist to ensure the product is safe for your skin. If you don’t see irritation, then you’re usually good to go!
What Ingredients Pair Well With Azelaic Acid?
In the case of dryness brought on by Azelaic Acid use, we’d recommend our Renew Pure Radiance Oil. Formulated with ceramides, fatty acids, and antioxidants, it’s designed to improve hydration.
With the additional help of 14 easily absorbable seed oils, Algae Extract, and Astaxanthin, you’ll feel more hydrated and see more plump and youthful-looking skin. Renew Pure Radiance Oil is also naturally scented with Jasmine, Neroli, and Rose for a subtle, sophisticated feel that will leave you feeling dewy and refreshed.
If your skin is still feeling dry, you might need to reinforce your moisturizing oil with a moisturizing cream. Our new Chebula Extreme Cream is a moisturizing triple threat: it delivers extreme hydrating moisture, antioxidant benefits, and skin barrier optimization.
That’s because we use Chebula, one of the most potent cascading antioxidants that single-handedly fights five signs of aging. Our formula also features an exclusive Hydra-Cocktail of protein rejuvenators, humectants, emollients, and breathable occlusives that locks moisture in and helps to strengthen the skin barrier.
And the best part? We use zero pore-clogging waxes, which is a top ingredient in practically every other moisturizer on the face of the planet.
What’s a Skincare Routine That Uses Azelaic Acid?
You can start off strong by beginning with a product formulated with Azelaic Acid. As we discussed above, our Ginger Turmeric Cleansing Balm effectively removes impurities such as makeup, sunscreen, and dirt, without removing necessary moisture and oils from your skin.
Our Renew Pure Radiance Oil is a great way to moisturize your skin and lock in hydration day and night to finish your routine and complement Azelaic Acid’s soothing properties.
This moisturizing face oil incorporates Chia Seeds and Kiwi Seed Oil to help nourish and protect your skin, Passion Fruit Oil and Papaya Seed Oil to condition the skin and help dissolve impurities, and nourishing Algae Extract and Astaxanthin which work to support your skin barrier and maintain a plump appearance. Our formula helps address key signs of aging while also increasing hydration levels for youthful-looking skin.
You can finish off your routine with our Renew Repair Nightly Treatment for the perfectly pitched nighttime routine. This treatment helps moisturize and soften skin while also working to help address signs of aging.
Our potent Renew Repair Nightly Treatment includes Ceramides for softness and moisturization, True Botanicals Bioferment + Tripeptide 29 to reveal smooth, flowy-looking skin, and Noni, Sod, and Resveratol to help protect and support skin with antioxidants.
So, How Long Does It Take To Work?
The rate at which you see results from regular Azelaic Acid usage depends on the strength of the Azelaic Acid product you’re using.
If your Azelaic Acid has been prescribed to you by a doctor or dermatologist, it may be stronger than Azelaic Acid products you may get over the counter and therefore could have a visible effect more quickly.
In general, you can expect to see real results from Azelaic Acid in two to four months, with stronger Azelaic Acid products tending toward the shorter end of that window and weaker concentrations naturally taking longer to visibly kick in.
In Conclusion
It can be frustrating to add a new skincare product to your regimen, expecting immediate results, only to see your complexion look basically the same day after day. Consistency and patience are important in skincare, because the goal isn’t to just have a glowing complexion for one day!
Your skin will be with you for your entire life, through the good and the bad — so it’s important to stick to the products that will support it — like our Ginger Turmeric Cleansing Balm with Azelaic Acid. Keep your routine consistent, and you’re bound to see the many benefits of Azelaic Acid in two to four months.
Looking for more support for your skin? Take the True Botanicals Skincare Quiz here to see which of our sustainably-sourced, all-natural skincare formulas can work for you!
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