Skin Cycling: Is The Latest Trend In Skincare Worth The Hype?

The abundance of skincare products has become overwhelming for many, making it more difficult to find the ones that work and suit your skin type. However, it seems this narrative is changing with the rise of ‘skin cycling’, the newest viral beauty trend that preaches less is more when caring for your skin.

In other words, it advocates that having a simplified skincare routine instead of a complicated one is more beneficial for your skin. This concept was coined by New York-based and board-certified dermatologist Whitney Bowe, MD, who says skin cycling promotes being more thoughtful and deliberate when using skincare products and complementing them with one another while reducing unnecessary irritation to your skin¹. That said, does this latest concept in beauty actually work, and will it suit your skin type? Read on below to learn more about what the skin cycling process entails.

An overview of skin cycling

Skin cycling is all about balancing your active and recovery nights, which sets up the actives in your skincare products for success and achieve optimal results while minimising irritation². Specifically, you rotate between products like moisturisers, chemical exfoliators, and retinoids throughout the week to get the most out of each product and prevent over-exfoliating your skin.

This cycle involves a four-night schedule: exfoliation night, retinol night, two successive recovery nights, and repeat. This routine works well because it incorporates retinoids and exfoliants¹, which are not only effective at diminishing wrinkles and fine lines but also at unclogging pores, brightening complexion, and giving the skin a more youthful and healthier look.

The concept of skin cycling mirrors that of other cycling routines you may already be familiar with, such as in muscle building. For instance, if you are trying to improve a specific muscle group like your leg muscles, you do not exercise those muscles daily as it only leads to injury. The same applies to the skin, which means using retinoids and exfoliating acids every day damages the skin rather than improving it, increasing its sensitivity and making it more prone to dryness and inflammation.

Below is a step-by-step guide to following along the skin cycling process.

Night-time routine

Night 1

Night one is exfoliation night, so start with cleansing your skin with a gentle cleanser, followed by applying a leave-on exfoliation that can remove dead skin cells, dirt, and other debris. Dr Bowe recommends using chemical exfoliants instead of physical ones, as they give an immediate glow to your skin and set the stage for the next night.

Next, put on a fragrance-free moisturiser on top of the exfoliant, preferably one that is designed to repair the skin barrier and rebalance your skin microbiome. Steer clear of moisturisers that are too greasy or heavy as they may push the exfoliant into the skin while it works to remove dead skin cells and cause unwanted irritation.

Night 2

For night two, wash and dry your skin first before applying retinol or retinoids, which are great at increasing the turnover of skin cells. It is vital to apply retinoids sparingly¹ as frequent usage or layering them with other potentially irritating ingredients may cause irritation instead of the desired results. Again, put on a fragrance-free moisturiser on top of the retinol or retinoid to repair the skin barrier and prevent dryness and irritation.

Nights 3 and 4

Keep your skin free of exfoliants and retinoids on nights three and four to give it time to bounce back. During these recovery nights, the main focus is to nourish your skin microbiome and repair your skin barrier, which translates to focusing on hydrating and moisturising your skin.

For those with acne-prone or oily skin, it is recommended to hydrate during one of these recovery nights. Otherwise, spend two to three nights if you have dry, sensitive, or easily irritated skin to give it more time to recover and repair. After completing this four or five-night cycle, start the process all over again. Lastly, Bowe noted that you are free to personalise and change the structure of the skin cycling routine if you deem it best to do so for your specific needs.

Morning routine

While skin cycling focuses more on the four-night schedule, that does not mean skipping your morning skincare routine entirely. But unlike the night-time routine, your line-up here could be more streamlined and only involve the essentials, like:

A gentle cleanser.
Sunscreen for the needed SPF.
A barrier-protecting moisturising gel or cream.
Vitamin C serum or another anti-oxidant serum.

Conclusion

While it is recommended to always be wary of online trends, especially when they can affect our health and well-being, skin cycling is among the few safe ones. Seeing as using more skincare products than necessary is among the biggest mistakes people make; skin cycling is beneficial for those following such a harmful habit. And most importantly, it encourages them to change to a better skincare regimen.

If you need extra help with your skincare needs or have concerns with skin issues, you can find all the answers you need at Angeline Yong Dermatology, where you’ll be in the good hands of our esteemed Dr Angeline Yong. As a highly experienced and MOH-accredited dermatologist, Dr Yong acknowledges that every patient is unique, so you can expect no less than a personalised treatment regimen that best suits your skin. To learn more about our dermatology clinic and services, fill in our enquiry form or book an appointment today.

References

Hui, A. (2022, October 5). How Does Skin Cycling Work? Verywell Health. Retrieved November 15, 2022, from https://www.verywellhealth.com/skin-cycling-tiktok-trend-6745287

Mayer, B. A. (2022, November 10). Skin Cycling: Does the TikTok Trend Offer Complexion Benefits? Healthline. Retrieved June 29, 2023, from https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/skin-cycling-does-the-tiktok-trend-offer-complexion-benefits

Use of this website signifies your agreement to The Terms of Use & Privacy Policy

Terms of Use

You are deemed to have entered into an agreement with Angeline Yong Dermatology and to have agreed to be bound by the terms set out below by accessing ayd.com.sg (“the Sites”) or by otherwise accessing any content found on this web site. By accessing or using the Site, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed, without limitation or qualification, to be bound by these Terms & Conditions. The Site is owned and operated by Angeline Yong Dermatology.

Intellectual Property Protection
Use of Angeline Yong Dermatology Content
Changes to the Site
Privacy Policy
No Warranty, Disclaimer of Liability and Indemnity
Force Majeure
Miscellaneous
Governing Law and Jurisdiction

Intellectual Property Protection

The contents and design of the Site and any material e-mailed to you or otherwise supplied to you in conjunction with the Site (such contents, design and materials being collectively referred to as the “Angeline Yong Dermatology Content”, are copyright of Angeline Yong Dermatology. You may not use or reproduce or allow anyone to use or reproduce any trademarks (such as ” Angeline Yong Dermatology” name and logo or other trade names appearing on the Site) for any reason without written permission from Angeline Yong Dermatology. The software, which operates the Site, is proprietary software and you may not use it except as expressly allowed under these Terms. You may not copy, modify, reverse engineer or otherwise interfere with the software.

Use of Angeline Yong Dermatology Content

You may retrieve and display the Angeline Yong Dermatology Content on a computer screen or mobile telephone, print individual pages on paper (but not photocopy them) and store such pages in electronic form for your personal, non-commercial use. You may not save or post any of the Content on blogs, Facebook, and other websites that allows viewing by the general public without written permission from Angeline Yong Dermatology. Except as expressly set out above, you may not reproduce, modify or in any way commercially exploit any of the Angeline Yong Dermatology Content.

Changes to the Site

Angeline Yong Dermatology reserves the right to change, modify, suspend, add or remove portions of the Angeline Yong Dermatology Content available on the Site at any time and to restrict the use and accessibility of the Site in its discretion and without prior notification.

Privacy Policy

The information that you provide about yourself and your company to Angeline Yong Dermatology will only be used in accordance with Angeline Yong Dermatology’s Privacy Policy Statement. We will:

retain your information only for as long as there is a business need
take reasonable steps to ensure that the information is accurate, adequate, relevant and up to date.
update or correct your information held by us whenever necessary
take appropriate measures to prevent and minimize risks of unauthorised access to the information

We may use your personal information, such as your name and contact details, for the following purposes:

to perform the services that you have requested, which may involve contacting you by telephone, mobile phone, fax machine, post or email, including sending you electronic direct mailers.
to allow us to promote our products, events and activities.

No Warranty, Disclaimer of Liability and Indemnity

Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the high quality and accuracy of the Site, Angeline Yong Dermatology makes no warranty, express or implied, concerning the Angeline Yong Dermatology Content, the Site, software or products or services available through the Site (the “Site Services”), which are provided “as is”. Angeline Yong Dermatology expressly disclaims all warranties, including but not limited to warranties of fitness for a particular purpose and warranties of merchantability. In no event will Angeline Yong Dermatology, its affiliates or other suppliers be liable for direct, special, incidental, or consequential damages (including, without limitation, damages for loss of business profits, business interruption, loss of business information or other pecuniary loss) arising directly or indirectly from the use of (or failure to use) or reliance on the Site Services, even if Angeline Yong Dermatology and its affiliates has been advised of the possibility that such damages may arise.

Angeline Yong Dermatology does not guarantee the accuracy, content, or timeliness of the Site Services or that they or related systems are free from viruses or other contaminating or destructive properties. Angeline Yong Dermatology accepts no responsibility for the content on any site to which a hypertext link from this site exists. The links are provided “as is” with no warranty, express or implied for the information provided within them.

Upon accessing to this Site, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless Angeline Yong Dermatology and its affiliates from any claims and expenses, including reasonable legal fees, related to any breach of these Terms by you or your use of any Site Services.

Force Majeure

Angeline Yong Dermatology and its affiliates will not be liable or deemed to be in default for any delay or failure in performance or interruption of the delivery of the Angeline Yong Dermatology Content resulting directly or indirectly from any cause or circumstance beyond its or their reasonable control, including but not limited to failure of electronic or mechanical equipment or communication lines, telephone or other interconnect problems, computer viruses, unauthorized access, theft, operator errors, severe weather, earthquakes or natural disasters, strikes or other labour problems, wars, or government restrictions.

Miscellaneous

Changes to these Terms. Angeline Yong Dermatology may, in its discretion, change these Terms (including those relating to your use of Site and/or the Angeline Yong Dermatology Content. When Terms are changed, Angeline Yong Dermatology will notify you by email or by publishing details of those changes by including them in these Terms. If you use the Site after Angeline Yong Dermatology has published or notified you of the changes, you are agreeing now to be bound by those changes. If you do not agree to be bound by those changes, you should not use the Site any further after they are published. Access to certain areas of the Angeline Yong Dermatology Content may be subject to additional terms and conditions.

Advertising, Third Party Content and other Web Sites. Parts of the Site may contain advertising or other third-party content. Advertisers and other content providers are responsible for ensuring that material submitted for inclusion on the Site complies with international and national law. Angeline Yong Dermatology is not responsible for any third-party content or error, omission or inaccuracy in any advertising material. The Site may contain links to other web sites. Angeline Yong Dermatology is not responsible for the availability of these web sites or their contents.

Assignment of Agreement. This agreement is personal to you and your rights and obligations under these Terms may not be assigned, sub-licensed or otherwise transferred. This agreement may be assigned to a third party by Angeline Yong Dermatology and its affiliates.

Non-Waiver. No delay or omission on the part of either party in requiring performance by the other party of its obligations will operate as a waiver of any right.

Notices. Notices to Angeline Yong Dermatology and its affiliates must be given in writing by letter.

Severability/Survival/Statute of Limitations. If any provision of these Terms is invalid or unenforceable, such will not render all the Terms unenforceable or invalid but rather the Terms will be read and construed as if the invalid or unenforceable provision(s) are not contained therein. Any cause of action of yours with respect to these Terms must be filed in a court of competent jurisdiction in Singapore, within one year after the cause of action has arisen, or such cause will be barred, invalid, and void.

Whole Agreement. Save as expressly referred to herein, any representation, warranty, term or condition not expressly set out in these Terms shall not apply.

Headings. Headings in these Terms are for convenience only and have no legal meaning or effect.

Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with the Laws of the Republic of Singapore. The parties irrevocably agree that the courts of Singapore shall (subject to the paragraph below) have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any dispute which may arise out of, under, or in connection with these Terms or the legal relationship established by them, and for those purposes irrevocably submit all disputes to the jurisdiction of Singapore courts. For the exclusive benefit of Angeline Yong Dermatology and its affiliates, Angeline Yong Dermatology and its affiliates shall retain the right to bring proceedings as to the substance of the matter in the courts of the country of your residence or, where these Terms are entered into in the course of your trade or profession, the country of your principal place of business.

Media.

Skin Cycling: Is The Latest Trend In Skincare Worth The Hype?