What is Skin Cycling?
Skin cycling is a skincare strategy where you rotate specific products or treatments in a structured routine—typically over a few days or a week—to maximize benefits. When combined with professional treatments like SkinCeuticals Micropeel, LaseMD, Microneedling and Environ Facial, skin cycling can amplify results by leveraging the unique mechanisms of each procedure alongside at-home care. Nurse JoLyn often says "I swear my clients that have aged the best are the ones that do a little bit of everything!"
Here’s how integrating these professional treatments into a skin cycling approach can enhance outcomes:
SkinCeuticals Micropeel with Lisa Sanchez, Licensed Esthetician
Added Benefit with Skin Cycling: The SkinCeuticals Micropeel combines dermaplaning, which is mechanical exfoliation layered with a chemical peel (lactic, glycolic or salicylic acid) to exfoliate the skin. As we age skin cells do not slough off easily. This dead layer of skin dulls our appearance and prevents products from penetrating into the skin. A MicroPeel integrated into skin cycling acts as a "reset night," clearing dead skin and enhancing the efficacy of subsequent actives like retinoids or brightening agents (e.g., Environ C-Quence or AnteAGE Skin Brightener) allowing topical products applied to penetrate better on following nights. This can lead to faster improvement in texture, hyperpigmentation, and fine lines, with less irritation than daily exfoliation.
Why It Works: The Micropeel removes barriers to product penetration, allowing cycled topicals to work more effectively while the skin recovers with soothing agents on off-nights, balancing exfoliation with repair.
LaseMD with Elizabeth Sommers BSN, RN or JoLyn Gibb BSN, RN
Added Benefit with Skin Cycling: LaseMD is a fractional non-ablative laser treatment that resurfaces the skin and often includes a serum infusion (e.g., vitamin C or tranexamic acid). In a skin cycling routine, it serves as a "rejuvenation night," followed by a few days of barrier-supporting products (e.g., AnteAGE Biogel or Elta AM Therapy). Once healed, cycling in active skin care products like growth factor serums or retinoids can build on LaseMD’s collagen-stimulating effects, enhancing skin firmness, clarity, and evenness beyond what the laser achieves alone.
Why It Works: LaseMD’s microchannels and heat stimulate repair, and strategic cycling of topicals afterward sustains and extends these benefits, targeting deeper layers while supporting surface recovery.
Medical Microneedling with Elizabeth Sommers RN
Added Benefit with Skin Cycling: Microneedling creates microchannels in the skin, boosting collagen production and enhancing penetration of topical products. In a skin cycling routine, you can schedule microneedling as a "treatment night" followed by recovery days with gentle, hydrating products (e.g., SkinCeuticals B5 hydrating gel or Environ A,C & E oil). On subsequent nights, applying actives like AnteAGE Serum and Accelerator or SkinCeuticals Discoloration Defense can capitalize on the increased absorption post-microneedling, accelerating skin repair, texture improvement, and firmness. This synergy can lead to more pronounced reductions in fine lines, scars, and pore size compared to stand alone use.
Adding AnteAGE MDX Exosome immediately after microneedling can also tell fibroblasts to produce more collagen and elastin fibers, which provide the skin with structure, support and strength.
The AnteAGE MDX vial contains 10 billion exosomes!
Why It Works: The micro-injuries from microneedling prime the skin for regeneration, and cycling in targeted topicals afterward optimizes the healing process without overwhelming the skin barrier.
Environ Vitamin Infusion Facial with Yumie Sasaki, Licensed Esthetician
Added Benefit with Skin Cycling: Environ Facials, often incorporating iontophoresis or sonophoresis to deliver vitamins (like A and C) deep into the skin, provide a nutrient boost that complements skin cycling. You could schedule this facial as a "nourishment night" within your cycle, followed by lighter at-home products (e.g., Revival Masque or C-Quence Toner packed full of peptides) on other nights to sustain the infusion of active ingredients. This enhances skin radiance, hydration, and resilience over time, especially for concerns like dullness or uneven tone.
Why It Works: The professional delivery of vitamins via Environ technology amplifies the effects of at-home cycling, ensuring deeper penetration and prolonged activity of key ingredients tailored to your skin’s needs. Iontophoresis utilizes a low-level electrical current to "push" charged molecules, like vitamins, through the skin's outer layer (stratum corneum) and into deeper tissues. Benefits of Iontophoresis with Vitamins A, C, and E: Vitamin A, boosts collagen production. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant. Vitamin E can help improve skin hydration and reduce dryness.
Combined Advantages of Skin Cycling with These Treatments
1. Optimized Efficacy: Each treatment enhances product penetration or stimulates skin processes (e.g., collagen production, cell turnover), and skin cycling ensures the right topicals are applied at the right time to maximize these effects.
2. Reduced Irritation: Professional treatments can be intense, but cycling in recovery nights with gentle products prevents over-sensitization, allowing consistent progress without downtime overload.
3. Customized Synergy: Skin cycling lets you tailor at-home care to complement the specific benefits of each treatment—e.g., antioxidants post-LaseMD for brightening, or peptides post-microneedling for repair—creating a cohesive regimen.
4. Long-Term Results: The combination accelerates and sustains improvements in texture, tone, and elasticity by aligning professional interventions with a disciplined at-home cycle, outperforming sporadic or isolated treatments.
Practical Example of Integration
Day 1: Professional treatment (e.g., Microneedling or Micropeel) – Follow with a simple hydrator.
Day 2-3: Recovery nights – Use soothing, barrier-repair products (e.g., no actives).
Day 4: Active night – Apply a retinoid or vitamin C to boost the treatment’s effects.
Repeat: Rotate treatments monthly (e.g., Environ Facial next, then LaseMD), adjusting the cycle based on skin response and professional advice from your provider at Skin 365.
This approach leverages the strengths of each treatment while mitigating risks like over-exfoliation or sensitivity, offering a smarter, more effective path to healthier, glowing skin. Always consult with your provider to tailor the timing and products to your specific needs, as individual responses vary.
Want to Give Skin Cycling A Try?
· SkinCeuticals Micropeel Facial (Dermaplaning + chemical peel with Lisa)
· LaseMD (Elizabeth or Jolyn)
· Medical Microneedling (Elizabeth)
· Vitamin Infusion Facial (90 minutes of pure bliss with Yumie)