What is skin cycling, and should you be doing it?

A new day, a new Tik Tok beauty trend! One that’s gathering momentum is skin cycling made popular by dermatologist Dr Whitney Bowe. So, what does it involve, and should you be doing it? Our Education Manger, Victoria Evans gives us the low down.

The skin cycling trend comes from the common problem that introducing advanced formulas into your skin care regimen such as acids and retinoids can often lead to irritation. By following a skin cycling routine, you introduce these active products on certain days within a week and the cycle includes recovery days to help prevent overprocessing the skin.

At Dermalogica we’re advocates of a progressive rather than an aggressive approach when it comes to advancing your skin care regimen, so skin cycling is a great concept to help prevent skin irritation. However, every skin is different, and some will tolerate more than others. So, following this strict routine may not give you the results you’re looking for.

skin cycling for beginners

The concept of this routine is to introduce an acid based exfoliant or peel on day one, then a retinoid on day two, buffering it with moisturizer. The following days focus on hydrating and soothing the skin, no ‘actives’ to be used. You then repeat this weekly cycle.

advanced skin cycling

The advice for advancing your skin cycling is to increase your use of acids and retinoids within the weekly cycle, keeping rest days in between.

skin cycling is not for everyone

The main problem with the skin cycling trend is that it offers a one-size-fits-all approach. What we know about skin is that everyone is unique, and we’ll all need something slightly different. This trend also sees consumers selecting their own products, which may or may not be effective when used in this cyclic way.

When it comes to achieving real results with your skin, you can’t beat getting advice from a professional. Have a skin therapist analyze your skin and prescribe you a personalized regimen for best results. At Dermalogica, we’ll always follow a skin health approach and help you introduce actives such as acids and retinoids into your regimen safely but it’s not likely to fit in to this specific skin cycling trend pattern.

a personalized approach to skin health

If you’re looking to tackle hyperpigmentation, acne or lines and wrinkles on the skin, we’ll likely prescribe formulas with active ingredients that are used most days of the week because our formulas are designed to work on the skin with daily application. For example, our PowerBright trio of serum, day and night cream contain Niacinamide and Hexylresorcinol that need to be used daily for quick fading of dark spots. These formulas are well tolerated on most skins for daily use.

In addition, Dermalogica formulas containing Retinol are designed to be used nightly, however we will advise you based on your current skin condition how to introduce them into your regimen. Dynamic Skin Retinol Serum contains moisturizing ingredients Squalane and Beta Glucan to help maintain the health of the skin barrier, making it gentle enough for nightly use. Retinol Clearing Oil contains a retinol ester which many skins tolerate using nightly from the get-go.

Incorporating skin hydrating, brightening and/or soothing formulas into your regimen can also be achieved on a daily basis by layering with a mist or using different serums in your AM regime vs. your PM regimen.

get advice from a pro

For a regimen prescription that’s bespoke to your skins needs, visit your local Dermalogica Skin Therapist for a Face Mapping service. Find your nearest skin centre here. Or book a free digital consultation with Face Mapping here. You can also use our live chat on site.