A REAL PRO explaining skin cycling . I so appreciate this and would never just follow someone who doesn’t know what there talking about. I am def guilty of over doing it as most people are . Which is sooo bad ! Thankyou
This is exactly what happened to me a couple of weeks ago. My skin wasn't feeling the new Cetaphil formula AT ALL. I always got red blotchy marks after every wash, products stung when I layered other products--but I stubbornly persisted. Thus the damaged skin barrier. 😭 It's no joke when we say it hurts, not to mention the confusion of why and how this could have happened. I was so stressed. I stopped using the Cetaphil cleanser and I panic-bought all sorts of 'soothing& calming' products, one of which was LaRoche Posay cica balm and even that hurt 😭. All that stress and anxiety definitely added to the damage. The only thing that helped was Aveeno's Dermexa emollient cream, just one use and OMG the difference was amazing--still using it now but I've slowly been incorporating my other regular serums except my adapalene and chemical exfoliant. Lesson learned: just keep it simple and really study and be conscientious of what your skin needs---which led me to study and get my research on skin cycling.
Hi Lizzie, thank you for sharing your experience with us! I absolutely have experienced the EXACT SAME THING as you with a damaged skin barrier. It happened to me with a new formulation of Vitamin C, and my face turned bright red and stung SO BADLY! Definitely keep it simple, especially when the skin barrier is damaged, and add in products one at a time and very slowly! I recommend doing a patch test with any new product, applying it to a small area of skin to see if it's ok before proceeding to apply to the whole face.
Thanks for sharing! I have ezcema so I kind of have to cycle but typically two days off retinal/aha and then the other night pick one almost always works. I'm a long time fan of Dr. Bowe and leave it to her to come up with coining the process :) Have a great day.
Good question; I start with a pea sized amount of pure tretinoin or other retinoid. If you find that a retinol serum or moisturizer is not irritating your skin you can experiment with a slightly larger amount. The idea is not to overdo it to the point where you’re getting red irritated and peeling.
Thank you for this wonderful video, it was super helpful and specially appreciated!!! I was wondering if during the skin cycling you only use the product of the day by itself or if you incorporate it into your routine? For example on exfoliating day only using an exfoliant and nothing else? Or applying your regular skin care routine plus the exfoliant?
Hello! Thank you for watching! Yes I would apply your regular skin care plus the exfoliant, as long as your regular skin care doesn't ALSO contain exfoliants, if that makes sense
i started to use tret almost 1-1/2 years ago recommended by my derm. Unfortunately, I did not know how to use it. Consequently, I applied it every night like I applied my moisturizer. After using tret for approx 4-6 mos, I woke up one night feeling moisture on my face; it was blood. I ran to the bathroom dripping blood on the floor. I never saw so much blood. i can't remember how I stopped the bleeding. The next morning I found 2 - 4 inch circles of dried blood on my pillowcase. The blood had also seeped into my pillow. i immediately went to another derm who told me I used too much tret. She told me to only use a pea sized amount on my whole face. I stopped using the tret until recently. i now use a pea sized amount every night. But because I used the tret incorrectly I have a patch of rough skin where I bled. Does anyone know how I can get rid of the small patch of rough skin?
I'm sorry to hear that you experienced this! The little patch of rough skin should get better over time, it sounds like a scar or damaged skin. If it doesn't resolve please see a derm in person for assessment and treatment
What about daytime routine, my dermatologist has me using Onexton cream every morning, it has benzoyl peroxide and clindamycin in it. Can I still do that while skin cycling with Paula’s choice bha liquid exfoliant and Twyneo cream (tretinoin/benzoyl peroxide) at nighttime?
This is great for testing out retinol and building up the tolerance but a question I can't seem to find answers for anywhere is, what is the next step. Do I swap one of the rest days for a retinol day? Do I change it into a 5 day cycle with extra retinol day between the rest days? What's the next level?
Hello, good question about how to level up. I should make a skin cycling part 2! After your skin has gotten more used to retinoids, I would use it more often, so you have more retinoid days and less "off" days. I still would not use retinoids and AHA/BHAs on the same day.
I’ll be honest I’m curious I am starting mine since 2-3 weeks and I’m worried if I’m doing it right as my exfoliant isn’t a leave on, as recommended. Im using fenty skin cleanser, 11.8% bha aha pha chemical exfoliant by bliss pro, with la roche posay acne retinoid effacler. I have hyper pigmentation and acne scars I’d love to clear on naturally dewy skin with the la roche posay double barrier face moisturizer
@@TeawithMD yes as I’d love to know. Not sure if you can give us some products or if the products I mentioned, you’d say are in alignment with what you’re recommending. My bliss pro product was supposed to be, rated higher than Paula’s choice for chemical exfoliant so please let me know. I want to ensure I can try this trend accurately. I feel a big part of this trend is getting some education on the correct products for us to execute it. Looking forward to it
How about te recover night Can i use cica jumiso Toner and serum and Hatomogi moisture cause I already have it , i don't want to change it anyway , let's me know that I can use it or not when i start skin cycling🙏
i really want to try skin cycling! one question tho, can i layer niacinamide in night two? people say that retinol and niacinamide layering is really good
Can I use different brands or different types of exfoliants when skin cycling? I have a lot of products like Paula choice, drunk elephant, the ordinary lactic acid or should I stick to one product for exfoliating
so if were acne prone we dial up but if were exczema/psoriasis/dermatitis etc prone we dial down but... what if we are both?? My cheeks get so dry and itchy and scaly but I started doing the slugging moisturizer thing on them and the patches went away true but now I have spots popping up! This feels like a game of cat and mouse with my skin Dx
Yes it's a tough balancing act; I empathize! I would not use slugging over retinoids, because it makes the retinoid much stronger, and you would get side effects!
If I am using a retinoid, what is the point in using an exfoliant and a vitamin C serum? Doesn't the retinoid exfoliate the skin while reversing photo-aging and making it less susceptible to sun damage.
Good question - they offer different benefits. The exfoliant could be a stronger more targeted one than retinoid (for ex a higher percentage aha or BHA) and vitamin C has stronger antioxidant properties to fight free radical production by UV rays.
According to this basic skin cycling routine you would rest; however, if you have oily or acne prone skin you can use acid or tret on the rest days, just not both.
Does this method only apply to the evening skincare routine? In the AM I use the Paula’s Choice BHA gel almost daily. Would I also skip the morning exfoliant on the retinol and recovery days?
Hello, good question. The skin cycling is more for the PM routine which typically contains exfoliants and retinoid in the same time period. If your skin is doing well and is happy with the BHA gel in the AM, and tolerating the retinol at night, then ok not to skip. If you find that your skin is becoming red irritated flaky or too sensitive then you may want to skip the morning exfoliant on the recovery and retinol days. The main idea is not to use exfoliant and retinoid together at night.
Hello, bakuchiol can help do similar things to retinol but it's definitely not a 100% replacement. I would recommend retinol still for anti-aging and acne; if your skin cannot tolerate retinol or retinoid, you can try bakuchiol
hiii just watched the video but have some few questions .I’ve been using tretinoin for a long time but recently i’ve been breaking out really bad so for the first day would it be just face wash , exfoliate and moisturizer. Im confused on how to set up the process for the second day such as would i use my face wash first then my serum and moisturizer and lastly the tretinoin? In doing that would i only use the tretinoin only 2x a week 😭😭 im so confused
Hello, this is a starter regimen where you alternate exfoliant on day 1, tret on day 2, and then rest on days 3 and 4. If your skin is used to tretinoin and you can use it more days, then definitely you can use tret instead of the "resting" days!
BHA like salicylic acid is better for oily acne prone skin, AHA like glycolic or lactic acid for other skin types. You can choose just one depending on your skin type or if you find a product that combines both like the Drunk elephant sukari baby facial you can do that as well on your exfoliating nights
Hello, yes for starting out you can follow the four night cycle, and then as your skin gets used to the retinoid you can increase it more. I can use my retinoid 4-5 times per week! It really depends on your skin. The idea is not to overdo it
I heard retinol can cause birth defects. Is it concerning if a pregnant woman stops using retinol cream after she finds out she’s a few weeks pregnant? Serious harm to a fetus? I think it will take a while for women to realize they are pregnant.
Hi Kittiya, good question. I made a video about pregnancy safe skincare here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-PsxlrYe4gCE.html. In short, I recommend stopping retinoid use when you are trying to conceive, so meaning, before you are pregnant. If you find out you're pregnant a few weeks in, you can still stop retinoid at that time. Since topical retinoid is not absorbed in large quantities through the skin, the theoretical risk is low, but we still recommend stopping it once you find out that you're pregnant.
So I recently started Skin cycling & it seems to be causing breakouts. Has this happened to anyone else? Any suggestions as to how I should tweak this?
It really could be due to many factors and it’s hard for me to say for sure without knowing your whole routine. My guess is either you’re using more of something occlusive or you’re using less exfoliants than you usually do. starting Retinoids can also sometimes cause breakouts. There can be many many factors
Do I still cleanse my skin before the exfoliating and retinoid days? Also, do I moisturize after or just use the serums? (I use the Cerave foaming facial cleanser and the Cerave moisturizer)
Hi, I'm not a doc but a skincare nut - the answer is yes to cleansing and moisturizing! It's good to double check the ingredients in your serums and how they will react to the retinol you choose. I don't use my serums before my retinol because my skin is too sensitive.
