Recently I subconsciously broke my skin barrier for many reasons but most importantly due to sunscreen. Allow me to explain further.
Now what I mean by sunscreen is that I wasn’t using the appropriate sunscreen meant to minimize sun exposure while I was undergoing Tretinoin treatment to clear my acne. This could happen to anyone at any time but what is most important is identifying and treating it early. In this post we’ll clearly discuss all the causes of a broken skin barrier, how to identify and how to treat it.
While there are chemical ways to repair your skin barrier which includes serum formulations and lot more, there are also natural ways to do it which I’ll be sharing with you towards the end of this blog post.
WHY IS SKIN BARRIER IMPORTANT?
The skin barrier is the outermost layer of your skin which plays an important role in maintaining the overall health of the skin. This is why if your skin barrier is broken and you are undergoing maybe hyperpigmentation or acne treatment, there won’t be any visible result of the treatment. Or if you’re just a skincare girlie doing the 10 step Korean ritual to try achieve or maintain a clear skin, it only leads to frustration.
Diving in deep, here are some of the important benefits of having a healthy skin barrier.
· Water Retention: The skin barrier helps your skin retain moisture/hydration while reducing water loss. Due to its water retention properties, it prevents the skin from being dry especially during the winter period.
· Promotes Skin Firmness: The skin barrier to maintain and promote the skin elasticity hence promoting firmness
· Environmental Factors: It serves as a protection against environmental factors and also acts as a shield against UV rays, reducing the risk of skin damage and skin cancer.
CAUSES OF A BROKEN SKIN BARRIER
As earlier mentioned, there are lot of factors that contribute to a skin barrier being broken.
· Over exposure to the sun: Being overexposed to the sun exposes the skin to UV radiations that causes depletion of the skin’s antioxidant, leads to inflammation and disrupts the skin’s natural lipid barrier.
· Dry or humid weather condition: These certain weather conditions strips the skin of its natural moisture causing dryness, tightness and irritation.
· Using hot water to bathe: Using hot water to bathe disrupts the skin’s PH causing inflammation and hence damaging the skin barrier.
· Poor skin care: Inadequate moisturizing of the skin can lead to dryness of the skin.
· Over exfoliation: Using physical exfoliants [such as brushes] or chemical exfoliants [such as Salicylic acid] way too often can overtime can cause micro-tears in the skin leading to a broken skin barrier.
· Certain medications, like steroids: These medications contain ingredients that can strip the skin of its natural oils and hence cause damage to the skin.
· Harsh soaps or detergents: These can strip the skin of its natural oils causing dryness, irritation and damage to the skin barrier.
· Smoking: Smoking can cause damage to the skin barrier by reducing blood flow and causing inflammation.
HOW TO IDENTIFY A BROKEN SKIN BARRIER?
If you can relate to one or more of the symptoms listed below, then you are most likely experiencing a broken skin barrier.
· Dryness or flakiness
· Stinging sensation when applying regular skincare products
· Rough/uneven skin tone
· Increased/Large Pores
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HOW TO REPAIR A BROKEN SKIN BARRIER
After identifying the issue and cause of a damaged skin barrier, here is how to effectively repair a broken skin barrier.
STEP 1: GENTLE CLEANSERS
To start off your skincare routine, avoid using exfoliants especially the ones containing BHA’s as they tend to strip the skin of its natural oils and moisture, instead include into your routine a gentle cleanser which will help leave your skin feeling hydrated afterwards. Ensure to use only gentle cleansers.
STEP 2: MOISTURIZE
The main thing that will help improve and repair the skins condition is ‘moisture’. Moisture is key when it comes to repairing skin barrier and to do this, include into your routine good moisturizers that will help give your skin the hydration it needs. Here are some of the ingredients to look out for when selecting a moisturizer to go with; hylauronic acid, ceramides or glycerin.
STEP 3: USE AN OCCLUSIVE
An occlusive will act as the sealant to retain the moisture in the skin and will be applied after the moisturizer. The addition of an occlusive is best done at night while in the daytime after using the moisturizer, apply sunscreen. Examples of occlusive are: Petroleum Jelly, Vitamin E oil, Jojoba oil e.t.c.
Additional Tips
· Include Facial masks into your routine as this can serve as a means to provide extra hydration
· Remember to stay hydrated and drink lots of water
· Eat a balanced diet
· Get enough sleep
NOTE
Before starting off with repairing skin barrier, ensure that if you are using any product with active ingredients such as tretinoin, salicylic acid e.t.c put them on hold and do not use during this period of repairing the broken skin barrier.
CHEMICAL TREATMENTS/ PRODUCTS
· Ceramides: Ceramides are natural lipds that effectively help to restore the skin barrier functions, improve skin hydration, reduce inflammation, enhance skin elasticity, enhances skin elasticity, protect against environmental stressors , supports skin renewal and improve skin conditions. This can take form in serums and even moisturizers. Implementing ceramide containing products will help speed up the repair process.
· Glycerin: Glycerin is also essential to repair the skin barrier as it helps attract and retain moisture and also helps maintain the skin,s natural moisture barrier.
· Hylauronic acid: Hylauronic acids (HA) properties help to repair the skins barrier by providing long-lasting hydration and retaining moisture to the skin. You can include this serum as a treatment to repair skin barrier.
· Niacinimide: This is a form of Vitamin B3 that help to improve skin hydration and support the skin’s barrier function.
NATURAL TREATMENTS/PRODUCTS
Just as promised, here are some of the natural substitute you can use in your skincare routine to repair skin barrier.
· Aloe Vera Gel: Aloe Vera Gel is no shock to be on the list of natural prroducts that can be used to repair skin barrier. This is my absolute favorite as this product alone together with my occlusive helped transform my skin. Its natural ingredients contain moisturizing properties that uniquely helps to hydrate the skin, retain moisture, reduce inflammation and improve skin elasticity.
This can be used directly from the plant (but be sure to carry out a patch test first) or get a store-bought gel.
· Natural Oils: Using natural oils as an occlusive also helps to effectively repair skin barrier by sealing in and retaining moisture in the skin. (for example; petroleum jelly, coconut oil, Vitamin E e.t.c).
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO REPAIR BROKEN SKIN BARRIER
With a consistent routine using the right skin care products, depending on the skin damage, recovery can take typically up to 2 weeks for mild damage and up to 4-6 weeks for more serious damage.
HOW TO PREVENT SKIN BARRIER DAMAGE
· MOISTURIZE DAILY
· WAER SUNSCREEN WITH SPF
CONCLUSION
This post has covered everything you need to know about repairing, identifying, and treating a broken skin barrier. Treating your skin barrier should and must be the first step before dealing with any other skin concerns.
However, if you are dealing with acne, I have different posts covering acne, how to clear it with just 2 products, and what to know and avoid.
- Top 3 mistakes to avoid if you have acne
- 4 Things i wish i knew while dealing with acne
- How to get rid of dark spots naturally