Abstinence is a sign of our times. After decades of bloated consumerism, the tendency towards Ms Marie Kondo levels of minimalism is a sign that we’re finally getting our act together. We buy investment pieces rather than splurge on fast fashion; we cull our homes of unnecessary clutter and dispose of it as consciously as possible, not just for our own smug self-satisfaction, but so that we don’t expedite the sixth mass extinction.

This ideology was bound to infiltrate the grooming world, a place where sustainability, “toxic” ingredients and clean living are all hot topics. And while we are fans of intelligently streamlined skincare routines, does the internet-born trend for skin fasting – ie, using nothing at all on your skin – take things a step too far? Much like elimination diets that require you to juice or abstain from solids for days on end, skin fasting demands that you abandon your beloved products so that skin can “detox”.

Skin fasting plays into the Hippocratic idea that starvation allows the body to heal. Proponents believe that, without the crutches of daily cleansing and moisturising, the skin’s natural systems can kick back into gear after years of lying dormant. “The skin, like other body systems, has its own homeostatic (balancing) mechanisms and doesn’t need help to ‘detox’,” says leading aesthetic practitioner Dr David Jack (drdavidjack.com). “Moreover, it’s very unclear what these ‘toxins’ that everyone seems to obsess over actually are!” So, unless you’re mainlining asbestos or painting your face with lead, there is very little need for you to put your skin or body through the discomfort of a detox.

Like most social media trends, the rules of skin fasting are delightfully vague: you could give up your moisturiser for one night a week or you could scrap your whole routine for a month and see what happens (we don’t recommend it, though).

At best, a grooming strike will simply starve the skin of essential nutrients and leave it feeling unpleasantly itchy and dry. Moreover, it will be exposed to ultraviolet rays, which will do far more long-term damage than an unpronounceable ingredient in a face cream. “There are proven benefits for using sunscreens and certain antioxidants to repair damage and improve dermal matrix thickness. Stopping these entirely is unnecessary unless they cause irritation,” adds Dr Jack.

There are, of course, a handful of cases where simplification is needed. If you’re overly attached to your 124-step South Korean “glass skin” regimen, then heed the words of Dr Jack. “If your skin is getting irritated, then it’s quite likely that too much product is being used and things need to be dialled back.” He calls out acid peels in particular as these can leave the upper layer of the skin (epidermis) over-exfoliated and highly sensitive. “Often the epidermis is so overstimulated and exfoliated that other products cause the skin to become reactive.”

In summary, less is always more but using nothing at all, dear reader, is simply nonsensical.