What is Skin Cycling and How To Do It
Written by Lauren Arent (Lo Clark)
Owner of Bewitched Esthetics & Licensed Esthetician since 2013
January 6th, 2023
Hello my darlings,
Looking to improve dull, unhealthy skin? Skin Cycling is one trend on Tik Tok this esthetician will happily stand behind! This technique is an excellent method for using resurfacing products safely.
Other than the obvious ways such as drink water and wash your face or apply moisturizer, one simple way to improve dull skin is to incorporate resurfacing products like acids and peels into your skincare ritual.
Using acids and peels we can trigger what I call the healing response. This is one of my favorite things to do in the treatment room as it is the #1 cheat to prevent breakouts and improve dull skin, AND it’s something that you can do at home!
Healing Response
What is this healing response? It can refer to many different reactions in the skin but essentially boils down into a simple concept. When the skin is injured, or believes it’s injured, it rushes to send repair and aid to the area. This results in a boost in elements such as collagen and elastin, and repairs skin problems such as fine lines, wrinkles, dark spots, scars, etc.
Many different techniques in esthetics use this healing response method, such as microneedling and chemical peels. Most of these are extreme and require weeks of downtime. I am going to talk specifically today about how to do this on a smaller scale, to make the process #1. More affordable and #2. Easier to incorporate into your life.
“Extreme Methods”
I am by no means trying to guide you against going to the dermatologist for a peel or dissuade you from using Retinoids (Retinol) at home. I simply want to provide you with what I truly believe are safer and easier methods at home.
I refer to these methods as “Extreme” because I think it’s a lot to ask of a person to request they stay out of the sun and away from blue light (as in computers and cell phones) for days or even weeks! AND most people (as in like 90%) are not using Retinol correctly. It drives me crazy to see the damage people are inflicting on their skin, believing they are doing the right thing.
For Example
I am going to use a friend of mine as an example in this scenario. She is a person who is always trying to be at the forefront of skincare, truly believing in investing in skincare and facials. Acne has been a severe issue for her for a long time and she’s been to many people, even consulting with Instagram accounts to try and solve her blemish issues.
When she came to me and opened up about all she has been doing to treat her skin, I was overwhelmed. The amount of Retinoids, chemicals and acids she was using on her skin to treat the problem was actually creating the problem. She was even ingesting Vitamin A on the daily and although I don’t have much experience with this, I felt it could also be adding to the problem.
My biggest thing I said to her was, QUIT EVERYTHING with acids and harsh chemicals. The rule of thumb here: peel then heal.
That Microbiome Again
I know I speak about the microbiome constantly but if you haven’t figured this out by now that is because it is essential to everything in skincare. Nothing we do will work if the microbiome is damaged, both on the surface of the skin and within the body as in the gut. If you peel your face EVERY SINGLE DAY, you are damaging your microbiome and creating a bigger problem.
I am looking at you daily Retinol/Vitamin A users.
The Dirty Truth About Retinol
That’s right. If you are using Retinol on your face daily, you are creating a problem. We hear buzzwords in media, specifically every damn over the counter skincare product these days essentially pushes you to believe your moisturizer needs to contain Retinol. This is such an ick factor for me.
Retinol, whether you use it daily or even as minimally as twice a week, means you:
– Should not be getting waxed
– Definitely should not be receiving chemical peels
– Cannot have your eyebrows microbladed until after 6 weeks of discontinued use
– Should be wearing SPF on the daily all day long, if not you are incurring damage/scarring on a deep cellular level
Did anyone tell you this when you started using Retinol? I thought not.
What is Skin Cycling?
All that to tell you this: skin cycling is the method of using resurfacing agents one day and allowing the microbiome to recover. Peel then heal. It’s as simple as that. Now, what you really want to know is the specifics right? Like what is the exact blueprint you can use to follow a skin cycling ritual?
Skin Cycling 101
As an esthetician my go to recommendation is going to be professional first. Make yourself an appointment with your esthetician once a month for a peel.
More specifically, make yourself an appointment with me and we can do one of the following:
– Once a month we can do the Arctic Berry Illuminating Peel which is a treatment that stimulates the production of collagen and elastin for three days after, reducing pigmentation, fine lines and wrinkles, scarring and more! This is an adaptogenic treatment, meaning it’s perfect for the changing of seasons. It’s full of plant based acids that are all anti-inflammatory. For more advanced players, I can level you up with a layer of the Blueberry Firming Detox Peel.
– Twice a month, depending on your goal, we can do a layer of one of the Vitaskin Exfoliating Peels with a layer of the Mangosteen Lactic Peel to target firming the skin, brightening, pore reduction, or even reducing skin sensitivities like rosacea!
– Once a week, we can do the Yam and Pumpkin Professional Peel in combination with the Pro Salicylic Peel for a series of 6 weeks which is equivalent to one IPL treatment!
To book one of these services, please either book at minimum the 45 minute custom facial (The Simple Magick Facial) or the Arctic Berry Illuminating Peel and together we will customize your service for your needs!
At Home Treatments
I have so so many recommendations for at home treatments. The specific recipe for use of at home skincare products would look like this:
Day #1: Day #2: Day #3 Day #4:
Cleanse Cleanse Cleanse Cleanse
Tone Exfoliate Peel Tone
Serum Tone Tone Serum
Eye Cream Serum Serum Eye Cream
Moisturizer Eye Cream Eye Cream Moisturizer
SPF Moisturizer Moisturizer SPF
SPF SPF
You can absolutely buy retail versions of some of these peels from Eminence for yourself! However, instead of explaining the many options to you, I would prefer to recommend you make a consultation with me to discuss further. The reason being, not every person is built for the same ritual. I would love to work with you to create the perfect personalized skin care ritual with you (even if you don’t live in Boise!) that suits your needs, targets your goals and works the safest with your skin. This is true for booking a peel with me too.
For Retinol Users
If you are going to insist on using traditional Retinol, PLEASE, use it as minimally as twice a week. Follow the recipe for the perfect skin cycling ritual.
In between treatments, focus on hydrating and healing products with other ingredients such as botanical hyaluronic acid found in the Strawberry Rhubarb Hyaluronic Hydrator and the Marine Flower Peptide Night Cream and sun protection products such as the Tropical Vanilla Day Cream SPF40 and the Lilikoi Daily Defense Moisturizer SPF40 with blue light protection!
The Problem with Instant Results
I understand we live in a world where instant results are desired. And most people believe if they use Retinol daily, they will solve their problems faster. I will give you this, when you begin to use Retinoids, yes you will see instant results HOWEVER the damage will catch up to you. This is the point when clients come to me to solve the problem. Solving the problems created by improper use takes so much more time and effort than just following my peel and heal rule. Slow and steady wins this race, I promise you.
An Alternative to Retinol
Eminence Organic Skincare uses the same healing response concept in many of its products, most frequently in products that contain The Natural Retinol Alternative.
In these products, the ingredient Chicory Root essentially tricks the skin into believing it’s been injured without actually creating the injury. In this way, your body will respond by sending immediate aid in the repair department, specifically by sending collagen and elastin to the areas that need repair. Therefore elevating the anti-aging process WITHOUT thinning or actually damaging your skin. Meaning they do not require you to heal after use, they can and should absolutely be used DAILY!
I recommend these top products that all contain The Natural Retinol Alternative as substitutes for your traditional Retinoids:
– The Monoi Age Corrective Exfoliating Cleanser
– The Bamboo Age Corrective Masque
– The Coconut Age Corrective Moisturizer
– The Monoi Age Corrective Night Cream for the Face and Neck
Last Few Notes
Just as Retinol resurfaces the skin by removing a layer from the epidermis, so do plant based acid products and peels from Eminence. So if you feel as though The Natural Retinol Alternative isn’t the perfect solution for your needs (say your goal is to treat acne scars or pigmentation) the Exfoliating Peels from Eminence contain the right ingredients for you! Acids such as Glycolic, Lactic, Mandelic, and Azelaic for example. If you want to take a look at The Firm Skin Exfoliating Peel, the Calm Skin Exfoliating Peel, The Bright Skin Exfoliating Peel or the Clear Skin Exfoliating Peel, please use my SPA LINK to get free shipping on all orders!
And finally, please remember to always, ALWAYS use sun protection after using any resurfacing products. It is ridiculously easy to escalate the damage to your skin when exposing freshly peeled skin to the rays of the sun and so much harder to repair.
I hope you give Skin Cycling a try. Especially if you are already using resurfacing products such as traditional retinols. I aim to give you all the knowledge I can to improve the health of your skin. Please let me know if you have enjoyed reading this.
Wishing you a life full of beauty and blessings!
3 Comments
Pingback:
Pingback:
whoiscall
Great article!