Is Slugging The Secret To Glowing Skin?

Long before it became the latest beauty trend, skin cycling was a treatment protocol that dermatologists recommended to patients, the idea being that you ‘cycle’ your active ingredients – namely skin peels and retinoids – usually over a four-day program, thereby allowing them to work properly and with minimal or no irritation. While most of us flit between products, never giving anything enough time to do its job, skin cycling ensures consistency, focus and great results. Although the ‘cycle’ can vary – over the number of days and the actives used – essentially, a skin-cycling program runs as follows: night one, exfoliate; night two, use a retinoid; nights three and four are active-free, with the focus on repair, hydration and nourishing.

Some may prefer to peel weekly or, if acclimatized, use a retinoid more frequently, but the concept remains the same: allow your targeted active products to do their job, with ‘days off’ in between to focus on barrier-strengthening, nourishing and hydration. With no mixing and matching (or mismatching) of products and ingredients, or overuse of actives that make the skin sensitive and reactive, this protocol will result in visibly better skin. While especially good for improving skin tone and general texture, the potent peel/retinoid duo is also excellent for treating oilier and breakout-prone skin types.

A truly terrible name for what can be a highly effective skin treatment, ‘slugging’ is a Korean beauty export that works wonders on dry, dehydrated skin. The idea is to apply your evening skincare with a focus on nourishing and hydrating serums and lotions, finishing with a thick layer of an occlusive cream. This ‘seals in’ the products and traps the skin’s moisture for an intensive overnight hydration treatment – and if you want plump, super-dewy skin by morning, it delivers beautifully.

While petroleum jelly may be the original ‘slugging’ topcoat of choice, using something a little more sophisticated, such as the original Crème de la Mer, Sisley Supremÿa Baume, U Beauty The Barrier Bioactive Treatment, or Omorovicza Queen Cream – or anything rich and balmy, applied generously – will have a similar, if not better, effect, as it will also sink into the skin overnight. Recently popular overnight face masks also work well, layered liberally over your night-time skincare. They work on a similar principle to a regular sheet mask, which is basically a serum with an occlusive sheet over it that helps ‘push’ the liquid into the skin while minimizing moisture loss. It’s a great way to inject some juiciness back into dehydrated skin, so try it after a flight, day at the beach or on the slopes, or any time you feel your face needs a shot of skin-plumping moisture.

It may have a new name, but ‘flooding’ is a technique that makeup artists have been using for years to ensure the plumpest, dewiest skin canvas pre-makeup – and it’s pleasingly simple to do. Using hydrating mists, serums, lotions and masks, the idea is to saturate, or ‘flood’, the skin by layering on products. Starting with damp skin, you spritz, pat, press and layer on products that are rich in hydrating ingredients, including hyaluronic acid and glycerin. As with our usual daily regimen, the same layering rule applies: start with the most watery-textured products and work up to the creamier, richer textures. Facialist Joanna Czech’s ‘press/release’ application technique of pressing the fingers flat over the face and then quickly releasing can help the skin absorb more, but however you apply your products, it’s amazing how much the drier tops of cheeks can soak up as you layer on the serums, lotions and creams.

Body flooding is now proving just as popular and effective, especially on ultra-dry lower legs, as well as arms and shoulders. Again, start with damp skin before layering up a hydrating serum (Dr. Barbara Sturm and Nécessaire do excellent body serums), body lotion and, if skin is extra-dry, finish with an oil where needed.

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