What is a Skin Cycling Routine and How Does it Work?

Products for Skin Cycling Routine

Exfoliants

Exfoliants promote gradual surface cell renewal, which speeds up the cell replacement process. It cleans out pores and removes the dirt that causes dullness in your skin. When people talk about exfoliants, many picture something abrasive like a sugar scrub.

Although this type of product is widely used, dermatologists caution that they may be too harsh on your skin. Instead, they recommend an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA)--based chemical exfoliant, like glycolic acid or salicylic acid, which uses chemicals to gently break down and remove dead skin cells. People with very sensitive skin need to be extra careful when choosing an exfoliant and may need to consult a dermatologist first before embarking on their chemical exfoliating journey.

Hyaluronic Acid

Hyaluronic acid helps to hydrate and plump the skin. It can be found in many beauty products, from moisturizers to serums that combat eczema and signs of aging. Quality hyaluronic acid serums are essential to your skin cycling routine to help restore moisture and repair the skin barrier. These products should be used every night (including rest nights) as part of your hydration strategy.

Retinoids

Retinoid is a ‘Vitamin A’ derivative that is an antiaging active ingredient. It works great for reducing fine lines and wrinkles by stimulating collagen production. Many people commonly use the term retinoids for all vitamin A skincare items, but that term technically only applies to prescription-strength products. The ones you can buy over the counter are retinol or retinaldehyde (more potent than retinol).

In the beginning, it may take a little while for your skin to adjust to the retinol's effects especially if you have sensitive skin, so always start with a lower concentration of retinol to allow your skin to get used to it. It is essential to use facial moisturizer cream and other calming products that can relieve any negative effects when you are using retinoids.

Some skin types are more tolerant of retinol, so even though skin cycling focuses on applying retinol twice a week, some people can handle a more frequent application, especially if they have been using retinol regularly as part of their skin routine.

Products that can be added to Skin Cycling

PITERA™ Anti-aging Hydration

PITERA™ is an active, hydrating ingredient that nourishes the skin while also having anti-aging properties that improve visible skin damage. PITERA™, can be incorporated as an ideal moisturizer or part of your larger hydration and anti-aging strategy. Our PITERA™ Facial Treatment Essence is a skincare powerhouse - containing with over 90% PITERA™, this proprietary ingredient rivals the benefits of retinol, Vitamin C and hyaluronic acid. Address visible signs of aging and skin damage in just one step.

PITERA™ is SK-II’s proprietary, natural bio-ingredient that addresses visible signs of aging and skin damage, improves surface cell renewal, and hydrates the skin barrier, leaving skin looking healthy and youthful. It s been clinically proven to reduce visible redness as well as the appearance of sun spots. All SK-II products contain PITERA™. In particular, the SK-II Facial Treatment Essence contains over 90% PITERA™ to deliver these powerful benefits to the skin.

Step-by-Step Guide to Skin Cycling

If a skin cycling program sounds like something you'd like to try, here is a complete step-by-step guide to follow for your nightly skin routine:

Night 1: Exfoliate

• Cleanse and pat dry your face.
• Exfoliate your skin with salicylic acid.
• Pat on PITERA™ Facial Treatment Essence
• Seal this with a hydrating moisturizer.

Night 2: PITERA™

• Cleanse and pat dry your face.
• Apply retinol
• Apply PITERA™ Facial Treatment Essence

Night 3 and 4: Rest and Hydrate

On nights three and four your skin gets a chance to recover from any irritating ingredients.

• Cleanse your skin.
• To repair your skin barrier, apply a hydrating serum before you moisturize, or just pat on PITERA™ Facial Treatment Essence.
• On rest days, moisturizing is crucial. Consider switching to an advanced ceramide product to help moisturize and restore your skin’s barrier.

In practice, this four-day cycle should work for most people, but sometimes your skin may have a negative reaction to the retinol. If you experience increased sensitivity or irritation, you can simply stop using the retinol completely and replace it with SK-II PITERA™ Facial Treatment Essence.

Experts recommend that if you are new to skin cycling, you should follow this routine for at least 45 days to allow your skin to adapt to the retinol, before trying to increase your retinol use.

Recommended Morning Routine

Even though skin cycling does not focus on morning routines, you can still care for your skin by following a simple morning routine where you cleanse, moisturize, and apply SPF. Some experts also recommend applying a vitamin C serum before moisturizing.

This is where SK-II’s PITERA™ Facial Treatment Essence shines once again since it offers many of the same benefits as Vitamin C and Hyaluronic Acid and can be used as an alternative, can replace vitamin C and hyaluronic acid, making it the perfect addition to your morning routine.

Benefits of Skin Cycling

Spacing out the use of different products will help regenerate your skin, and the quality of your skin will show improvement within a month.

Improved Skin Texture

The purpose of exfoliants is to remove the outermost layer of skin to reveal healthy, new skin below. It also opens the pores, which allows other products to be easily absorbed. It promotes an even skin tone and texture appearance while reducing the risk of acne breakouts in many chronic skin conditions.

Minimize Skin Irritation

By not layering products with different active ingredients, you are minimizing irritation to your skin. Exfoliants and retinoids are helpful in promoting healthy skin, but they can be harsh when used daily. You can resolve this by replacing these multiple ingredients with single product PITERA™ Facial Treatment Essence.

Enhanced Skin Barrier Function

Your skin barrier is an important protection against infection, harsh chemicals, and allergens. When your skin barrier is compromised, it can cause a large array of bad skin conditions, from acne-prone skin to eczema.

Over-exfoliating and using concentrated retinoids can potentially harm this barrier, but that is why rest days are so important. Dermatologists report major improvements in their patients’ skin simply by implementing recovery nights that focus on nurturing their skin barrier.

PITERA™'s Benefits on Skin

Researchers have discovered a wide range of benefits of PITERA™. This ingredient fights the appearance of uneven skin and sun spots. Also, it provides antioxidant effects by scavenging the surface free radicals that contribute to the appearance of skin aging. PITERA™ is an ingredient that helps to hydrate your skin and reduces the oily look of the skin.

Potential Side Effects of Skin Cycling and How to Overcome Them

Dryness and Irritation

One of the drawbacks to skin cycling is the dryness and irritation that can come from using retinoids and AHAs, especially for first-time users. An effective way to combat this is to apply a hydrating serum before you moisturize and to increase the number of recovery nights if your skin feels overly sensitive or irritated.

Photosensitivitysssss

The active ingredients are going to make your skin more sensitive to sunlight. The best remedy is to diligently apply a broad-spectrum SPF of 30 or above every day.

Does Skin Cycling Work for Everyone?

Skin cycling is not ideal for everyone. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, consult with your doctor before incorporating a retinoid Exfoliation may irritate some people’s skin if done twice a week, so they should reduce it to only once every seven days. If you find it too irritating even after that, you could skip it altogether. Skin cycling may also not be suitable for people who have flares of skin disease.

What Do Dermatologists Think About Skin Cycling?

Dermatologists usually encourage their patients to alternate active ingredients in their beauty routines and are therefore very supportive of skin cycling calendar. It’s a surefire way to get the benefits of the active ingredients to work well together while reducing irritation. This will help to use the products more consistently.

Final Thought

Skin cycling can be of great benefit to anyone who is considering a night treatment but doesn’t know where to start. For people with ultra-sensitive skin, it can be particularly helpful if they want to introduce PITERA™ Facial Treatment Essence to their routine. This iconic Facial Treatment Essence contains more than 90% PITERA™--a natural bio ingredient derived from yeast fermentation and made up of more than 50 micronutrients which improves skin’s natural regeneration, for youthful skin. PITERA™ fights the appearance of uneven skin and sun spots. It also provides anti-oxidant effects, reduces oily look of skin and makes pores visibly smaller. By using it daily, you will be using a product that has 35 years of research behind its tried, tested, and trusted name.