The Power of Skin Cycling - Our Skin Needs Rest, Just Like the Rest of Our Body

Despite its name, “skin cycling” is not a spin workout for your epidermis. Instead, it’s a term used to describe the way products are applied to the skin, with specific rules that enable you to get the most out of active ingredients. While it is not a new concept, skin cycling gained great popularity thanks to TikTok where #skincycling was associated with over 120 million views. Like so many other things, skin cycling is trending in Tiktok. 

What is skin cycling?

While many popular skincare methods require upwards of 10 products, skin cycling prefers to keep it simple. Essentially, skin cycling is a skin-care routine that allows for “rest days” during the week, so that your skin can repair itself after using certain products.

Skin cycling becoming popular

It is curious to see how this regimen gained traction recently. There could be several reasons for it. One of them is that catchy name helped it take hold. Or maybe people are realizing that our skin needs rest. Just like the rest of our body. Then during the pandemic, a lot of people experimented with the cocktail ingredients and were adding layer after layer after layer onto their skincare routines. The result was irritation and damage to the skin. The consequence of so much confusion around how to layer active ingredients led to people being angry and disappointed because they were left with irritating skin as a result. 

How does skin cycling routine look like

The classic skin cycling regimen is a four-night cycle — the first is the exfoliation night, the second is a retinoid night, and the third and fourth are recovery nights. Then you repeat the cycle. You might also talk to your dermatologist who might suggest variations on the method, depending on how your skin responds.

Here’s a night-by-night how-to:

Night No. 1: Exfoliation

On the first night, you should cleanse with your LUNA™ 4 and pat dry and then exfoliate, which takes off the dead skin cells from the surface layer of your skin.

Night No. 2: Retinoids

This night is focused on retinoids, which are vitamin A derivatives that can help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Night No. 3 and 4: Recovery

The recovery period, typically nights three and four, is the final step. On those nights, you hold off on the exfoliating acids and retinoids and give your skin a chance to recover. You want to focus on nourishing your skin microbiome and repairing your skin barrier, so you should think about hydration and moisture and avoid irritating ingredients. So the third and fourth nights are made for the Swedish Hydration routine - Swedish Hydration Routine by FOREO is a perfected regimen that will result in properly hydrated skin - you can actually Achieve 126% more moisture in just 2 minutes. Swedish Hydration Routine is built around FOREO’s UFO™ 2 device which was invented with the purpose of getting full benefits of the five most popular spa treatments - anti-aging mask, heating, cooling, LED light and massage - from the comfort of your home, in less than 2 minutes.

Note about frequency

You might ask how long you need to continue the practice. There is no unique answer to this question, you should actually repeat and modify your skin cycle routine over time. Just observe how your skin acts and be gentle toward it. It can be a reset. It can be used continuously, it all depends on how your skin responds to the active ingredients you are replying. One thing you should have in mind is that consistency is more important than frequency. Simply because products are more effective when used regularly, even if they are not used daily. 

Benefits of practicing skin cycling

Instead of piling more products on top of each other, skin cycling encourages people to use products strategically so that they actually complement one another. Dermatologists and skin cycling devotees suggest the practice can have a number of benefits: can help repair your skin barrier, may reduce negative product side effects, can help protect skin against seasonal issues, can help prevent irritation and inflammation.

Potential side effect of skin cycling

As just explained, skin cycling can have numerous positive effects, but it can also cause side effects. For instance, if you are not already using a retinoid, you could experience some side effects when you start. It is a well-known fact that Retin-A and retinol are two common ingredients that cause dryness, irritation and even inflammation when you begin using them. Also, you need to be aware that retinol may make you more prone to sunburn, making sunscreen even more essential than usual. These side effects usually lessen as your skin adjusts to the ingredient. For people with sensitive skin, you might want to use your moisturizer first to buffer against the potential effect of retinoids. That goes especially for sensitive areas like around the eyes and the corners of the nose, mouth, and neck. Once your skin is used to the retinoids, you can reverse the order and apply retinoids first then the moisturizer.