What Is Skin Cycling?
"Skin cycling is a strategic method for cycling through your evening skincare products to maximize results and minimize irritation," says Whitney Bowe, M.D. board-certified dermatologist, and creator of the technique of cycling the skin.
Although many of the most popular skincare techniques need more than 10 ingredients, skin cycling prefers to stick with a simple routine. In essence, it's an effective skincare regimen that demands time off between active ingredient-laced treatments to let your skin's microbiome heal. Why is this beneficial? Acids and retinoids can be excellent for resurfacing, but excessive use of these ingredients causes irritation and causes skin irritation. "When it comes to exfoliation, more is not better," says Dr. Bowe. "Over-exfoliation can compromise the health and integrity of your skin barrier."
In contrast to one-size-fits-all advice for skincare Skin cycling is a "flexible framework," meaning you can tailor the routine to meet your specific skin requirements. "The more traditional way of establishing skincare routines with patients was linear--don't use an exfoliating serum more than one to two times per week," Dr. Bowe, "We would then introduce other components, such as gradually adding a retinoid, but begin slowly. This was a great suggestion, however I discovered that it was better in my practice for patients to establish the right schedule, with an intuitive foundation that made sense for them and produced results that they could see on the appearance of their skin."
Skin Cycling Benefits
Additionally, there are advantages if you continue in the long-term. "Over the next few months, things like fine lines, wrinkles, breakouts, and dark spots will start to improve," Dr. Bowe says. "Over time, you can increase the frequency of how often you apply your actives, as your skin adjusts." In addition, skin-cycling produces the best results, it also helps reduce anxiety about skin care generally because it gives specific guidelines on what products you can apply to your skin and when to apply it.
Skin Cycling Routine
The program is designed to allow you to use your exfoliating product prior to applying the retinoid. This allows the skin to absorb Retinol more effectively. The dermatologist Dr. Bowe adds that anyone who suffers from an active skin condition such as rosacea or acne or taking prescription medications is advised to consult their dermatologist to customize their skin cycle routine. If you've had no experience with acids or retinol before, try them slowly.
The Night One : Apply the exfoliating cream similar to the one mentioned above on clean and clear skin to prepare your skin in preparation for upcoming activities.
Night Two : It's time to retinol! Apply to clean skin following night one. After your skin has been cleansed and nourished, it will get deeper into the skin barrier.
Night Three : Give your skin a break. Instead of using an exfoliator focus on moisture using high-hydrating moisturisers and serums. This will help restore the barrier of your skin.
Fourth Night : We remain in the repair process. Make sure your skin is sealed with a mild moisturiser prior to going to sleep.
