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Other TikTokers have been swapping calamine lotion into their routines as well, with similar results. In a video on April 28, TikTok user Whitcharae tested out the trend on half of her face while using her regular primer on the other half, beneath a full face of makeup. She reported that, by the end of the day, the side of her face with the calamine lotion seemed to be \"way more matte\" than the side with regular primer.

@whitcharae Reply to @amber.mua2022 #stitch with @tiasamudaa calamine lotion as primer 👀 does it work? #makeuptrends #makeuphacks #makeuptips #viralmakeuphacks #fyp ♬ original sound - Whitney

While the TikTok trend continues to grow in popularity, skin care experts and dermatologists aren't too keen on the idea.

\"Calamine lotion acts like an astringent, meaning that it dries out the skin,\" board-certified dermatologist Dr. Whitney Bowe told \"Good Morning America.\" \"That could be good in the short-term if you're treating something like a bug bite, but if you consistently use it over time, it can damage something called the skin barrier. Think of it as a smart protective shield. It traps moisture in the skin, but it blocks out things like allergens, irritants and pollutants -- and you don't want those in the skin because they can drive inflammation.\"

Bowe explained that a damaged skin barrier \"can show up as blotchy skin, breakouts, it can even accelerate the aging process and you just lose the elasticity in the skin.\"

To keep your skin looking healthy, Bowe instead recommends an alternative called \"skin cycling.\"

Here's how to incorporate skin cycling into your routine:

Night 1: Exfoliation

On the first night of the \"skin cycle,\" you should cleanse and follow with an exfoliating product -- \"one that contains ingredients like glycolic acid, salicylic acid,\" Bowe said.

\"It's going to just slough away that dead layer of skin,\" she added.

This process helps to brighten the skin overnight and prep it for night two.

Night 2: Use a retinoid

To build collagen and smooth fine lines, take a tiny pea-sized amount of retinoid, dab it all over your face and rub it in. \"This is going to help with texture, fine lines, wrinkles,\" she said.

Night 3 & 4: Recovery

On the third and fourth nights, Bowe advised cleansing and dabbing on a product with ingredients such as hyaluronic serum to help nourish and repair the skin barrier.

During this time, Bowe said the most important step is moisturizer. She recommended her own recently launched Bowe Glow Microbiome Nourishing Cream, which includes ingredients like squalane, ceramides and sunflower seed oil, which help nourish and repair the skin barrier, she said.

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