Skincare Trends Making Dermatologists Smile
The Skinsmith | 20th February 2023
Skin Fasting
Skin fasting is taking a break from all of your current skincare products or routine to give your skin time to breathe, rest and reset. Theoretically it allows your skin to naturally function the way it was intended to without the help of skincare products.
This is a pretty simple idea; however, it does vary from person to person in much the same way as food-related fasting. There are different levels of what you want to eliminate from your diet or skincare regime as well as differences in the duration length of the fast. The theory is to let your skin rebuild its protective stratum corneum layer to create better skin health and resilience. It can also be a really good way to detect products that are causing irritation, breakouts or other skin problems.
There is plenty of information out there about what products work for certain skin types, work well together and ones you should avoid altogether but it is very easy to get caught up with new launches, fads and trends. Skin fasting isn’t necessarily about eliminating your skincare products (although a few days break can often be beneficial) but phasing out one product at a time is a great way of testing what works best for your skin type. If you no longer know what is working for your skin and feel you are overloading with products it’s a great idea to take a bit of time to understand what you really need and perform a skin diet. This is eliminating one or two products gradually and then reintroducing them gradually at a later date.
If you do decide to give it a go it most would agree that certain steps are essential and suddenly ditching something as important as cleansing and exfoliating from your routine can cause a build-up of excess sebum, dirt and dead skin cells that can clog pores and cause breakouts. Cleansing is essential for personal hygiene as well as prevention of premature ageing, it removes sweat, grime, dirt, bacteria and pollution from the skins surface and lack of exfoliation can result in the build-up of dead skin cells resulting in breakouts. If you want a clear, glowing complexion you’d better keep using them!! Finally, don’t ditch your SPF’s, going out in the sun without it can cause irreparable damage and depending on your skin type may worsen pigmentation. Essentials for your minimalist skin fasting kit could simply include two products, an exfoliating cleanser and an SPF moisturiser. Eminence Citrus Exfoliating Wash is a great all round exfoliating cleanser, suitable for normal to oily skin. Fresh lime juice removes impurities from the skin while grapefruit seed and silica leave the skin luminously clear. Eminence Tropical Vanilla Day Cream has an SPF 40, it is an all-mineral Sun Protection Factor moisturiser for all skin types. If you wear make-up an eye make-up remover is a necessity to remove mascara and eyeshadow before using your exfoliating cleanser. Eminence Herbal Eye Make-up remover is great for even the most sensitive eyes and includes cucumber, lavender, calendula and chamomile.
Skinimalism
Having used Skin fasting to work out which products work and which don’t, it’s time to let the benefits of Skinimalism come into play.
It has been a long-held opinion among those who voice them that when it comes to skincare more is more – the more active-packed serums you apply, the glowier your skin will be. A life of excess can be fun for a while but inevitably will backfire meaning it is necessary to take stock, re-evaluate and trim to fit leaving the stuff we don’t need and is not good for us behind. In much the same way excessive skincare efforts can create skin chaos, in the form of a compromised skin barrier, redness, irritation, and in some cases acne. This is where skinimalism comes in to streamline our chaotic lives providing zen like calm to our cosmetic cabinets and easing our bank balances.
Skinimalism is about achieving great results with a simplified skincare routine which only includes essentials. Dermatologists, consumers, influencers and even brands are talking about skinimalism right now.
When it comes to skin care, more isn't always better. Very few skin care ingredients have actually been shown to benefit patients clinically. Take your skincare routine down from ten steps to three or four, you’re more likely to keep up with your routine and you can streamline to products that really work. The three essential steps to skincare are:
- Cleansing – Washing your face. Eminence Stone Crop Cleansing Oil is a great all-round cleanser which restores moisture and removes impurities (it even gently removes eye make-up) leaving skin feeling fresh, dewy and soft.
- Toning – Balancing the skin. Eminence Soothing Chamomile Tonique infuses the skin with comforting herbs to restore the skins balance. It comes in a spray bottle which makes application so easy, simply spritz it onto the skin and it will hydrate, smooth, calm, restore and even out skin tone.
- Moisturising – Hydrating and softening the skin. Eminence Apricot Whip Moisturiser is perfect for normal/combination skin. It revitalises the complexion with apricot and carrot juice leaving the skin soft and supple.
You might want to slip in a serum step between the toning and moisturising steps but that is really all you need. Eminence Kombucha Microbiome Luminosity Serum is a light weight gel-serum with White tea, Ginger, Jasmine and pre, pro and post biotics. It makes the skin appear more luminous and protects skins microbiome and skin barrier function.
Skin Cycling
The theory behind Skin cycling is that a great skincare routine is not unlike a fitness routine. Just like fitness training, overdoing things from a beauty perspective can do much more harm than good. Just as strenuously exercising every day and repeating the same routine can hinder rather than help progress, mixing, matching and layering every ingredient imaginable onto your skin night after night can actually be detrimental for our skin health.
The idea is that adopting a skin cycling routine can help prevent the skin barrier being compromised due to overuse of active ingredients – plus, it’s a great way to create a consistent and effective routine that helps the skin work optimally. The New York-based dermatologist behind the concept is Dr Whitney Bowe, who shared her vision for the ultimate skin cycling routine on TikTok. She couldn’t help but wonder why, just like a good exercise regime the recovery process step had not yet been incorporated and embraced in our approach to skincare. Bowe noticed a lot of confusion surrounding which products to use, when and how to incorporate new products with new ingredients into existing regimes rather than simply add them to an ever increasing and more complex list. These cumbersome routines can result in skin irritation or simply have no benefit whatsoever to your skin. Using products and ingredients in isolation allows us to truly understand what is actually benefitting our skin and improves efficacy of active ingredients minimising irritation by cycling through active and inactive ingredients over the course of four nights.
The classic skin cycling regimen is a four-night cycle which involves using active ingredients only on certain days and following them with rest days — the first is the exfoliation night, the second is a retinoid night, and the third and fourth are recovery nights, then you repeat the cycle. There are variations on the method, depending on how your skin responds. Skin cycling can be really effective because it gives your face a chance to heal (recover) in between treatments. To start your skin cycling routine you’ll need:
- An exfoliator (like glycolic acid or salicylic acid). We recommend Firm Skin Acai Exfoliating Peel and Clear Skin Willow Bark Exfoliating Peel.
- A retinoid (think retinol). Eminence do not use conventional retinol in products but a much gentler natural retinol alternative which means you don’t need to space out the frequency of use but can still incorporate it into the skin cycling routine in the same way. Eminence Bamboo Firming Fluid contains natural retinol alternative complex made from Chicory Root Oligosaccharides and Tara Tree which smooths the appearance of wrinkles.
- A moisturiser (opt for an ointment or cream) such as Eminence Rosehip and Lemongrass Repair Balm is soothing for dry irritated skin that needs a little more help and Eminence Strawberry Rhubarb Hyaluronic Hydrator is a light-weight vegan gel cream that hydrates plumps and smooths the skin while smelling delicious!
Night One: Exfoliation
Start by cleansing your skin and patting dry, then use your exfoliation product. Use an enzymatic or acid exfoliator rather than a physical exfoliator which are better for the skin barrier when incorporated into this routine.
Night Two: Retinoid
On day two, apply a retinoid after cleansing. If you’re new to retinoids begin by applying a hydrating cream to the sensitive areas of the face – under the eyes, around the corners of the nose and on the marionette lines – to act as a buffer and prevent dryness and irritation. Then apply your retinoid to your face, down the neck and across the décolletage.
Nights Three and Four: Repair and Recovery
The next two nights are about taking care of your skin barrier and ensuring the skin is adequately hydrated. Start by cleansing and leaving the skin damp, next apply a serum which contains hyaluronic acid, glycerine and or a niacinamide. Follow with a moisturiser which will support the skin barrier, if the skin is really dry, apply rosehip or squalene oil onto cheeks. Eminence Rosehip Triple C+ E Firming Oil is a collagen boosting oil which firms, hydrates and combats free radical damage.
Give it a go and Get the Skincare You Need Rather than Think You Need.
Some fads are worth giving a go and it can’t be denied that the logic behind these trends makes perfect sense. While making us sit up and take notice of what we are putting on our skin and re-evaluating what we actually need for effective skincare we are also helping our bank balances by only buying what we need, what’s not to love!!
Discover The Benefits of Skin Fasting, Skinimalism and Skin Cycling By...
You can also learn more about the key benefits of streamlined skincare by speaking to a member of our experienced and friendly team today on 01305 300950 or by emailing [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you.
