Barrier Damage
Healing your skin barrier is all about nourishment and balance. When your skin is out of balance, it is vulnerable to chronic damage. The skin should be hydrated, slightly oily, and have a pH of ~5.
One of the most common ways skin dysfunction can begin is when the fatty skin barrier degrades. The effects can take months to heal and often lead to trial-and-error remedies and frustration.
What is the skin barrier?
Lipids, the skin's natural oily fats, allow the skin to protect against pathogens and disease. Maintaining that lipid layer keeps your skin healthy!
Think of this as a protective layer similar to outdoor waterproofing on your furniture. Sun, wind, sand, and other harsh exposure degrade the chemical makeup of the waterproofing layer, causing dull color, flaking, and overall damage (1).
Barrier damage can be the cause of many common skin issues. When the skin's protective barrier degrades, our skin is more vulnerable to ailments like acne, infections, redness, dullness, and extreme sensitivity.
What does barrier damage look like?
Your skin may be red, splotchy, dry, or itchy and tighter, or you may experience sudden sensitivity. A damaged barrier can appear like eczema, rosacea, acne, or an allergic reaction.
What causes barrier damage?
Anything that removes the natural oily fat layer is damaging—for example, chemical damage from product use or physical damage like scratching or exfoliation. Dehydration can also exacerbate barrier damage. Severe damage can take months to correct and involves nourishing the skin.
I see more of this in the winter as the dry, cold air and the remnants of your summer skin tend to degrade your skin's barrier. Many clients ramp up exfoliation, add different actives into their routine, or expose their skin to temperature extremes (1).
The most common ways are:
Harsh cleansers. You want your cleanser to be gentle, hydrating and non-foaming is preferable. The pH should also be low or around your skin's natural pH of 5.5.
Temperature. Exposing your skin to oil-melting heat, drying low-humidity cold, or degrading UV rays.
Active ingredients. You may use too many active ingredients, or your skin can be sensitive to them.
How to fix barrier damage
Hydration. Keeping up with your daily fluid intake can be difficult, but your skin will thank you! When your body is hydrated, it's able to function better overall.
Simple skin care products. Use products formulated for sensitive skin, especially if you have open wounds, redness, or visibly compromised skin.
Nourishment. The main focus is hydration and moisture., to sort of artificially create a skin barrier. Remove all actives and stick to a basic cleanser, moisturizer, and sun protection. Ingredients like ceramides and natural oils are nourishing and simple. Products like oil or cream cleansers and balms help maintain moisture.
Protection. You should limit sun exposure and harsh temperatures and use sun protection. I recommend a minimum SPF of 30 and an allergy-safe, sensitive skin formulation.
Product recommendations
General conditions like barrier damage sometimes require professional assistance. You can look through my top recommendation for sensitive skin, rosacea, and sun protection!
