All you need to know about Skin Cycling, the latest trend on TikTok

Dr Navnit Haror

Is there anything more satisfying than an effective skincare regimen? After a stressful and long day, it feels great to take off your makeup and apply lotion and serum.
Nevertheless, with so many products in the market, choosing the right skincare regimen for your skin can be confusing. Choosing which beauty products to use and when to use them can be difficult. Skincare can appear to be difficult, but it shouldn’t be.
Almost every day a new trend sweeps social media, making users eager to try out the latest products, services, advice, and fashions. Social media users have recently showered their love on skin care, and many favoured having naturally radiant skin without using a lot of makeup. Dermatologists and social media users have flooded social media with tons of advice on how to get radiant and shiny skin. And as a result, skin cycling was made known to us.
If you are wondering what the buzz is about “Skin Cycling’, well, we are here to guide you.

What is Skin Cycling?
Skin cycling is the latest trend dominating TikTok. The term ‘Skin Cycling’ was first used by Whitney Bowe, a New York-based dermatologist who has more than one million followers on TikTok. According to Dr Bowe, skin cycling is a thoughtful, systematic strategy for cycling through your nightly skin-care products.
Skin Cycling is a technique to change your skincare regimen for the best outcomes and no adverse effects. It involves reducing the number of active components in skincare products, including salicylic acid, retinol, and vitamin C. It’s a four-night skincare cycle that includes exfoliating one night, using retinoids the next, then recovering your skin for two nights straight before repeating the cycle. This enables your skin to receive the most from active ingredients without going overboard and risking skin damage or irritation.
Retinol and exfoliants are wonderful products for your skin since they help in unclogging pores and prevent fine lines and wrinkles. You may find these products useful in your skincare regimen.
However, too much of anything is bad. Retinol and other exfoliants used in excess for an extended period of time might harm your skin and make it more sensitive to irritation. You should use them with greater caution if you have sensitive skin as these products have heavy ingredients.

How Does It Work?
Skin cycling is a four-night regimen that includes exfoliation, retinol, and recovery. It provides you with the maximum benefits of exfoliation and retinol along with giving the skin time to recuperate and repair.
Would you benefit from skin cycling? Let’s go through each stage of the skin cycling process for a better understanding.

Night One: Exfoliate
Skin cycling’s first night is dedicated to exfoliation. You could use a chemical exfoliant before going to bed. Don’t get frightened by chemical exfoliants! Chemical exfoliants are nothing to be afraid of! A chemical exfoliant is very safe and effective for your skin. It contains acids that help in removing dead skin cells and pore-clogging debris, giving you smoother, more even skin.

Night Two: Retinol
The second night of the skin cycling routine focuses on the use of retinol. First, cleanse your skin, and then apply retinol to it. Retinol is made from vitamin A, and it is good for treating acne, and age spots, and promoting collagen formation in the skin. Avoid using any other chemicals when using retinol to prevent irritation. Retinol comes in a variety of forms, including retinol, retinal, tretinoin, adapalene, etc. These products should only be applied to dry and clean skin. You should avoid using them during the day as they may increase your skin’s sensitivity to the sun.

Night Three & Four: Recovery
After exfoliating on the first night and using retinol on the second night, give your skin a break on the third and fourth nights so that it can repair and recover. Do not apply any exfoliant or active ingredient to your skin for the next two days. Give your skin at least 48 hours to heal. During the recovery period, you can use skincare products like hyaluronic acid, glycerine, peptides, etc. to hydrate and nourish your skin.

After two nights of healing, start afresh with exfoliation and keep cycling throughout the rest of the week.

According to dermatologists, the skin cycling technique appears to live up to the hype on social media. If you want to add active skin-care ingredients to your night skin-care routine, this is a fantastic routine you must give a try. Remember that every person’s skin is unique and some may require a more specialized approach to using retinoids and exfoliants. The good news is that the skin-cycling method may be modified to suit your requirements. If you’re not sure where to begin, see your dermatologists to figure out which cycle would be effective for you.

Dr Navnit Haror, Founder & Director of Derma Miracle Clinic