When it comes to skincare, new trends and hacks are always emerging. One that has gotten quite the attention in the last few years was skin fasting, which is the opposite of the 10-step Korean skincare routine. This trend focuses on the “less is more approach”, giving the skin time to breathe without being slathered on with multiple active ingredients every single day.

Read on as our aesthetic clinic in Singapore dives a little deeper into skin fasting, its potential benefits and drawbacks, and who should/shouldn’t try it.

What is skin fasting?

Skin fasting refers to the practice of abstaining from applying any skin care product on your skin or forgoing your typical skincare routine for a specified period. The idea behind it is that minimizing skincare or eliminating certain products allows the skin to breathe or reset itself and possibly strengthen the skin barrier.

It is worth knowing that there are no strict rules in skin fasting. It can be as simple as giving up your face moisturizer for one to two nights or cutting back on the number of serums or acids you use a day. Skin fasting can also be as in-depth or aggressive as forgoing all products for a few days.

What are the potential benefits of skin fasting?

One main benefit of skin fasting is that it simplifies your routine and saves you money from buying products you don’t necessarily need. Other potential benefits include: 

• May help restore the skin barrier – minimizing your routine or eliminating certain products can allow the skin barrier or acid mantle to recalibrate and strengthen.
• Helps balance sebum production – taking a break from certain formulas may help the skin adjust or regulate its sebum production and potentially contribute to a balanced complexion.  
• May lead to reduced sensitivity– skin fasting, especially when you have sensitive skin, lets you recover from ingredients that may contribute to redness and sensitivity. 

Prevents product overload – abstaining from certain formulas, especially those that contain lots of active ingredients, can prevent overload that can contribute to concerns such as clogged pores, breakouts, and other adverse reactions.

What are the drawbacks of skin fasting

Using a product to address a skin concern and then suddenly removing it from your routine, may cause the concern to get worse. If you, for instance, use a cleanser with an exfoliant to address oily skin and clogged pores, eliminating it increases the buildup of excess oils and dead skin cells. Other drawbacks include: 

• May reduce skin nourishment – eliminating or stopping the use of products that protect and repair the skin could mean that you are depriving it of the nourishment it needs. 
• May cause damage to the skin barrier – skipping proper hydration from giving up serums or face moisturizers may compromise the skin barrier, resulting in dryness and dehydration.
• May delay results – stopping some products may also delay results or improvements in your skin. This can be frustrating if you’re used to noticing quick positive changes from your regimen. 
• Negative reaction after reintroducing products – when you start reusing some of your products after a skin fasting period, your skin might have a negative reaction to the ones it was once familiar with.

Who should/shouldn’t try skin fasting? 

Skin fasting is not ideal for everyone, but there are certain cases where it can be beneficial, such as when:

• The products you’re using are causing dryness, irritation, or sensitivity.
• Your skin has become oilier due to using too many serums or over-moisturizing.
• You are breaking out due to a possible pore-clogging product. 

It is, however, best to avoid skin fasting if you:

• Have severe acne or other skin conditions that require medication/treatment.
• Have dry or sensitive skin that might get worse if you skip your face moisturizer or other products. 
• Have reactive or allergy-prone skin.
• Are undergoing any type of treatment that can cause changes in the skin.

Take note: There is no reason to take a pause from your skincare products if your skin is doing great. You could actually benefit more from staying consistent or modifying your regimen based on your concerns or needs. It is much more important to choose products that suit your skin type and goals.

Make us your skincare partner

If you’re looking to build a routine that supports your skin’s health, the medical-grade formulations from Dr. Sylvia Skin Care are worth considering. You can also contact Cutis Medical Laser Clinics in Singapore and schedule a consultation with our aesthetic doctor if you’re thinking of making drastic changes to your routine.