What Is Skin Fasting and Should You Try It?

There are constantly new skin care trends popping up, usually revolving around the hottest new product or active ingredient out there. But some trends go the opposite direction, and that’s exactly what skin fasting is all about. You might’ve heard this buzz word a time or two, so let’s break down what it actually is, whether it might help your skin, and how to do it the right way.

What Is Skin Fasting?

Skin fasting is a practice of committing to a period of time when you don’t use any products at all on your skin – no cleansing, no moisturizing, nothing. Most skin fasts are a week or two, but some people try to “fast” for longer.

As with any fast, cleanse, or similar resolution, there are different levels of skin fasting. Some people take it to the extreme and don’t even use lip balm, or even soap in the shower. Others might just take their skin care back down to the minimum essentials like cleanser and sunscreen for their fast.

What’s the Goal of Skin Fasting?

Essentially, skin fasting is meant to be a type of skin “detox” from the influence of products. It’s based on a theory that skin care products can disrupt your skin’s natural balance and its ability to self-regulate. The goal of a skin fast is to give your skin a break from those products to let it rebalance itself and strengthen its natural protective layer.

Does Skin Fasting Really Work?

Honestly, this is a tough question to answer. For most people, the theory behind skin fasting doesn’t really hold water: skin care products are actually meant to create balance, a stronger protective barrier, and better functioning in skin that struggles with these things either due to natural factors or because of our modern lifestyle. So, for most people, a skin fast probably won’t make your skin better.

There are, however, situations where some form of a skin fast can be helpful, and these mainly revolve around inflammation. If your skin is getting inflamed or irritated routinely, or if you’re getting breakouts, a skin fast can be part of an elimination diet for your skin so you can track down the culprit.

In this case, you might cut out all of your skin care products for a week or two to see how your skin responds. If the inflammation goes away, it tells you that one of your skin care products is probably to blame. From there, you’ll resume using one of your products for a week or two and see how your skin responds – maybe your moisturizer. More inflammation? You found the troublemaker. Skin still at ease? Add back one more product and see how your skin responds. Repeat that until you’ve found which product is making you break out.

Tips for Effective Skin Fasting

If you want to give skin fasting a try to see how your skin responds to individual products in your routine, make sure you do it in a safe and practical way with these tips.

1. Avoid Skin Fasting if You Have a Skin Condition

If you have a condition like psoriasis, eczema, rosacea, or uncontrolled acne, skin fasting probably isn’t for you. At a minimum, if you do want to try a skin fast, keep using your medicated topicals as prescribed.

These medications have to be used consistently in order to build up and maintain effective levels in your skin, so taking a break from them (even just a week) can open the door for a surge in your symptoms, and it could take months to get your symptoms back under control.

If you have one of these conditions and you do want to try some form of a skin fast, talk to your dermatologist first to find out their recommendation.

1. Keep It Brief

If you want to see how your skin reacts to a skin fast, don’t go overboard. Keep the fast short: a week, perhaps two weeks at most. Going without skin care for an extended period of time can put your skin at risk for damage and leave you vulnerable to extreme dryness, itching, and more.

1. Consider Skin Cycling Instead

If you feel like you skin care routine has become excessive and you want to lighten it up, try an alternative called skin cycling. This is when you use your active skin care products on alternative days rather than using all of them together daily. For example, you might use your anti-aging serum on one day, then your eye cream the next day, then nothing but cleanser and moisturizer the next day, and repeat the cycle. This can help you avoid overtaxing your skin without losing the results you’re getting from these products.

1. Keep Sun Protection Involved

Dermatologists advise that sunscreen should be non-negotiable, even during a skin fast. You still need to protect your skin because sun damage can be especially dangerous.

If you feel strongly about fasting from sunscreen too, make sure you take other sun protection measures like minimizing your time outside when it’s sunny (especially mid-day when the sun is at its strongest), covering up with clothing made of tight-knit fabric, wearing a hat with a wide brim, and staying in the shade whenever possible.

In general, the skin fasting hype seems to be a bit overblown. Unless you’re seeing issues or signs that some of your skin care products might be hurting more than helping, your skin probably doesn’t need a detox. But if you do think you could benefit from a skin care elimination diet or if you want to try it and see how your skin reacts, use the tips above to do it safely.