Skin cycling with Lamelle Research Laboratories: Finally, a TikTok trend we appreciate!
Skin cycling with Lamelle Research Laboratories: Finally, a TikTok trend we appreciate!
We’ll admit it. TikTok is super entertaining. But it’s also been the birthplace of some pretty terrible skincare tips that have made our toes curl. Just one example is “slugging” – the misguided practice of slathering your face with a thick layer of Vaseline in a bid to bump up your moisture levels. Another even more terrible take? “Sunscreen contouring” – the “art” of only applying your SPF to certain areas in a bid to create a tan that “shapes” your body or face.
If you had to run any of this awful advice past a highly-skilled skincare therapist, they’d definitely be horrified. So, imagine our surprise to finally see the emergence “skin cycling”, a TikTok skincare trend with actual merit. But then again, it was created by a dermatologist…
What is skin cycling?
A term coined by Dr Whitney Bowe, a New York City-based dermatologist, skin cycling involves cycling through your skincare products at night in a way that allows you to benefit from their active ingredients, particularly those that exfoliate, but also take a break that allows your skin to recover. This way, you get all the benefits of your most potent actives, without overstimulating your skin in a way that can cause chronic low-grade inflammation, sensitivity and even breakouts.
Make it work for you
According to Karen Bester, Lamelle Research Laboratories’ medical trainer, Lamelle products are designed not to create irritation, but they are potent. If you overuse them without giving your skin the adequate recovery time, this could lead to sensitized skin. For this reason, she gives the skin cycling trend a thumbs up and has even suggested a four-night routine for anyone wanting to benefit from our new re-texturising solution and best-selling retinoid product.
Night one – Exfoliate
To kick off your 4-day skin cycle, reach for a chemical exfoliator like our new Lamelle Corrective AHA re-texture solution. Available in a concentration of 5% and 8%, it contains exfoliating glycolic acid and soothing Purslane extract to help you reveal a smoother, more radiant complexion.
If you’re new to chemical exfoliation, Bester suggests you try our Corrective 5% AHA solution until you develop a tolerance. However, if your skin is used to AHA’s, opt for our stronger Corrective 8% AHA solution. Also, keep in mind that the great thing about skin cycling is that it protects your skin from the effects of overuse. This means you might well be able to tolerate a higher percentage if you’re only using it sporadically as opposed to every single night.
Night two – Roll out the retinoids
This is your retinoid night – the perfect time to apply our Lamelle Correctives 5.0 RA Serum. It contains a patented form of retinoic acid analogue that works much like tretinoin (prescription-strength Retin-A) but without the irritating potential side effects like redness and flaking. It does a brilliant job of stimulating your skin to produce more collagen and elastin (bye bye fine lines, hello firmer, more youthful-looking skin); reduces the damaging effects of UV exposure and suppresses MMPs (an enzyme that, if left unchecked, can start damaging your skin’s collagen supply).
The best bit? As you’ve prepped your skin the night before using an exfoliant, it’ll do a better job of absorbing our RA Serum, so you’ll reap even more of its great rewards.
Night three – C the difference!
Tonight’s the night you boost your antioxidant levels, clear oxidative stress and give your skin yet another “collagen creation” kick Lamelle Vita C 30. It contains 30% ascorbic acid along with vitamin E to enhance its antioxidant effect.
Night four – Recovery time
On your recovery nights, you give your skin a break. This means you can perform your nightly skincare routine as per usual, but don’t include anything with an exfoliating effect. To aid recovery, use our Serra Lipid Recovery Mask for 15 minutes. You can also enhance its hydrating effect by following it with our Correctives HA+ Serum. It contains mega moisturising hyaluronic acid that, despite being referred to as an “acid”, doesn’t have any exfoliating properties.
Easy does it
If you’re wanting to get the maximum rewards in a short amount of time, skin cycling with Lamelle is a great way to go. Just a word of caution from Bester: ‘If your skin is sensitive or reacting, don’t do the full cycle – only choose two active nights and your rest your skin on the other two.”
As an example, you might want to exfoliate on night 1, use vitamin C on night 2, apply the Serra mask on night 3 and then rest completely on night 4 before restarting the cycle. That’s the great thing about skin cycling – you can always adjust the pace and still see great results. “I’m excited to see skin’s really change with this protocol,” says Bester – and you should be too!
@lamellersa