Should you do the 5:2 skin diet?

The latest beauty bandwagon is the 5:2 skin diet, so-called after the food fast diet that gripped the health-obsessed in 2013 where you restrict your calorie intake on two days a week. But this has nothing to do with eating; this one is about forgoing makeup.

The theory is that giving your skin a break from products can prevent premature ageing, allowing the cells to regenerate and regain clarity.

Dermatologist, Dr Noor Almaani, of The Private Clinic of Harley Street says “Makeup can often clog the oil glands and can impact your pores, making them appear larger. Taking regular breaks from wearing makeup could be a wise decision, as it will enable your skin to recover and it could reduce the level of irritation caused by wearing makeup over long periods of time.”

But don’t we do that every night – the exact time when the skin naturally regenerates anyway? Hey, it’s called ‘beauty sleep’ for a reason.

“Ultimately, no matter how much we think we are adhering to a strict facial cleansing protocol, inherently we don’t really ever do enough to clean the skin completely” Dr Noor adds. “So giving it at least one free day a week could make a real difference.” Plus, the vast majority of us don’t get as much sleep as we’d like to maximise repair time, do we?

Chemicals, preservatives and fragrances can cause havoc with our skin but equally there are many modern makeup products that are actually good for the skin. Mineral makeup and formulas enriched with antioxidants help the skin to repair and ward off potential aggressors – so make sure you are feeding your face right when you are choosing to wear makeup.

When you’re not, don’t forget to still apply SPF if you go out – whatever the weather. Sun damage can cause skin ageing, resulting in reduced elasticity and wrinkle formation way more than makeup can. Dr Noor says it “can also lead to uneven pigmentation and lentigos (sun spots) as well as pigmentation over the forehead and cheeks (melisma) as well as more visible ‘pores’ and can aggravate conditions like Rosacea, which many people in the UK suffer from”.

So whether you break from makeup twice a week, twice a month, or every day, the same advice still applies: go for healthy products and take protection. Diets are always a bit boring, eh.