What is Skin Cycling?

If you're worried about drying out your skin or using multiple active ingredients at once, there are two different ways we can break up our skincare routine to avoid irritation.

When our skin's barrier function is compromised we can experience dryness, more active breakouts, enhanced sensitivity, inflammation and general damage to our skin. We can fix this problem by regulating the pH of the skin and using our products properly, this requires time and patience and getting to know which products are right for your skin type and skin conditions.

One way to avoid disturbing our barrier function is to split up our skincare products between the morning and evening. When dividing our products, we decide to reach for our exfoliants and acids in the morning and use retinoids or recovery creams in the evening. By doing this we allow enough time for our products to penetrate without mixing them and causing redness or flare up reactions. For example when I divide my products, I use my AHA/BHA exfoliator in the morning, and my retinol one hour before bed at nighttime.

Another great way to help break up the use of your products is to try skin cycling in the evenings allowing the skin to recover throughout a period of multiple days, this is a great option for those with very sensitive skin. When we skin cycle our morning routine is the same daily, and typically only incorporates gentle skincare ingredients while in the evening we cycle the active products we use. For example exfoliating on Monday evening, using a retinoid or retinol on Tuesday, and on Wednesday we have a recovery night where we are just using hydrating and nourishing ingredients like hyaluronic acid and a rich moisturizer. We continue to repeat this cycle over and over again! It's important for clients to consult on a skincare plan before starting cycling because it may have to be adjusted due to sensitivities or skin conditions.

We want to remember that our skin is an organ, it takes time and patience to see the changes we want but it is possible! The best thing you can do for your skin is consult with an esthetician and/or a dermatologist and create a skincare routine and then consistently implement that routine at home.