The 5:2 Skin Diet: Will 2 makeup-free days give you a healthier skin?

Whether or not we admit it, everyone has their own fears: heights, supernatural beings, darkness, or quite simply… being seen in public without makeup.

Dermatologists are suggesting a new skin diet dubbed the “5:2 diet” where you go two days per week without any makeup. No, not even a dab of your concealer or some harmless strokes of your eyebrow pencil any two days of the week (consecutive or not). Apparently, given you follow the skin regime religiously, you might find yourself with healthier, younger looking skin in under a month.

It’s a good idea to lay off the makeup for a couple of days because cosmetics may cause dryness and upset the oil balance of the skin. Makeup residues can also clog pores and cause acne breakout. Furthermore, most products contain chemicals that can irritate the skin and potentially cause an allergic reaction.

How effective is the 5:2 diet?

The 5:2 diet claims that going bare skin twice a week will help cells regenerate quickly. But on the other hand, what’s two days a week compared to the five working days we smother our skin with makeup?

“Going unhealthy for five days and then attempt to ‘detox’ over the next two days is definitely counter-productive,” says Dr. Christopher Looi, a Singapore-based aesthetic physician. “No makeup is applied for two days (but) if you were to live unhealthily for five days with late nights, food and alcoholic binging, smoking cigarettes, inadequate cleansing of the skin after makeup, no skin in this real part of the universe would be able to recover adequately.”

The best regime for your skin

Dr. Looi recommends following the simple steps adapted from the American Academy of Dermatology guidelines:

• Use a gentle, non-abrasive cleanser and an alcohol-free toner.
• Wet your face with lukewarm water and use your fingertips to apply cleanser. Rinse with lukewarm water and pat dry with a soft towel.
• Avoid scrubbing as this tends to irritate the skin.
• Apply moisturiser if your skin is dry or itchy. In Singapore, where the climate is hot and humid, you can apply a thin layer of moisturiser if you work in a dry, air-conditioned environment.
• Apply rejuvenating serums such as the moisturising hyaluronic acid serum to help recover the moisture of the skin, or pigment-preventive peptide serum to prevent pigmentation and ageing of the skin and to stimulate collagen regeneration underneath your skin.
• Limit washing to twice a day (once in the morning and once at night) and immediately after heavy sweating.

Dr. Christopher Looi is an Aesthetic Physician with B. Sc in Microbiology (Canada) and MB, BCh, BAO (Ireland), currently practising at NEUGLOW Clinic in Singapore.

Natasha Gan