What is cyclical skin care and why is it useful?
According to American dermatologist Joshua Zeichner, cycling means alternating days when skin products are applied with days when the skin rests. This system will be useful for those who want to try creams and serums with active ingredients that can potentially cause irritation. For example, retinol, as well as peeling acids in exfoliating products.
Dr. Zeichner says this method of applying skin care products is beneficial in that it can be suitable even for sensitive skin, as it involves a more gentle use of products with active ingredients.
According to a 2018 Indian study, cycling helped maintain a healthy skin barrier in people who use peels. This produced noticeable results: participants’ skin was less irritated and healthier than when exfoliators were used occasionally or too frequently.
Cyclic care can be “customized”, that is, you can choose the frequency of use of funds and rest from them, depending on individual needs. This helps you stay on schedule and spend less time caring, which is useful for very busy people. This care also allows you to try and introduce new skin care products in the right way – slowly and gradually, seeing how they fit and work effectively.
When Not to Cycle Your Skin
Dr. Whitney Bowie from the United States notes that, despite the advantages of cyclical skin care, some people should be careful with it or avoid it altogether. Particularly because it includes retinol products and peels. They can cause irritation and redness if the skin is prone to acne, as well as in diseases of psoriasis, rosacea or eczema.
In this case, you should either consult with a dermatologist that you want to start such care and use products with retinol and peels, or take care of your skin with more gentle products. Dr. Bowie recommends discussing the transition to cyclical care with a beautician so that he can help you choose the right products, as well as the interval of their use in accordance with individual skin characteristics.
How to switch to cyclic skin care
According to American doctor Whitney Bowie, cyclical care when using retinol products most often looks like this:
- overnight exfoliation;
- night remedy with retinol;
- two nights of rest.
This cycle must be repeated, forming a skin care schedule. According to Dr. Bowie, the order of application of funds was not chosen by chance. Using peeling before products with retinol helps the skin absorb it better. Let’s take a closer look at the nightly skin care cycle.
Night exfoliation
Dermatologist Whitney Bow from the USA recommends paying attention to the use of chemical peels, rather than skin scrubs, in cyclical care. They better prepare the skin for the subsequent application of retinol products.
After using the exfoliator, be sure to apply a moisturizer to the skin, but not too oily. Do not use oils like coconut oil after exfoliation as this can lead to irritation.
Overnight retinol products
On the second night, you need to apply a product with retinol. For example, cream or serum. If you are just starting to use the product with this component, first apply a moisturizer to the skin. According to Dr. Bow, this will help the skin adapt to the new ingredient without irritation. Once she gets used to the retinol, the moisturizer will need to be applied after the moisturizer.
Two nights of rest
On these nights, it is necessary to refrain from exfoliating and active components. This is necessary so that the skin has time to rest and recover. It is best to use moisturizing and nourishing creams at this time, for example, with hyaluronic acid or based on natural ingredients.
Note that this scheme is not a universal or direct guide to action. In accordance with the recommendations of a dermatologist, it can be modified. For example, with sensitive skin, do not two, but up to four nights of rest, and with oily skin, reduce their number to one.
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