Keeping your body healthy is important and that includes your skin. A strong skin barrier protects your skin from external stress and locks in moisture. When damaged, irritants and allergens penetrate, water evaporates, and the skin barrier remains compromised. This is when problems occur and your skin can become dull, dry, and dehydrated. Explore five tell-tale signs of a damaged skin barrier: increased sensitivity, dryness, dehydration, flaking, redness, irritation, and fine lines and wrinkles. Understanding these signs is essential to recognizing when your skin needs special care. Here’s everything you need to know about your skin’s barrier and tips to protect and repair it.
What is your skin barrier?
An easy way to understand how the skin barrier works is to think of the skin as a structure made of bricks and mortar. Dr. Hooman Khorasani, MD, a quadruple board certified dermatology and skin cancer surgeon in New York City, explains: These sheets are located between the cells of the top layer of skin called the stratum corneum. These structures resemble the mortar found between the bricks of a house wall. ” Lamellar sheets composed of fatty acids, cholesterol, and ceramides hold skin cells in place and do not damage the stratum corneum.
What is it for?
The skin barrier acts like a guard to protect your skin. Protects skin from bacteria and irritants, locks in moisture and moisture. Skin with a healthy barrier is well hydrated, moisturized, elastic and flexible. It tolerates the negative effects of environmental stress well and ages gracefully. On the other hand, if the barrier is thin or weak, irritants can get in and water can go out. This can cause dullness, dryness, and sensitivity, which can lead to inflammation and premature aging.
How is the skin barrier damaged?
Over time, the skin barrier can become compromised. Aging, exposure to environmental stressors, and daily routines such as excessive cleaning cause cumulative damage and compromise its structure. Remember the brick-and-mortar analogy? Without proper care, the mortar between the bricks weakens and begins to crack. These create space for bacteria and irritants to enter the skin and for moisture and moisture to escape.
There are several things that can cause the skin barrier to become damaged.
- natural aging
- pollution
- UV exposure
- blue light
- bacteria
- stress
- unbalanced eating habits
- Skin care with harsh chemicals
- Over-cleansing and over-exfoliating
- extreme temperature
- Genetic diseases such as psoriasis
What happens if it gets damaged?
One of the main effects of skin barrier damage is transepidermal water loss (TEWL). Through this process, hydration and water passively evaporate through the damaged barrier, leading to dryness and dehydration. This worsens the visible signs of aging, leading to inflammation, sensitivity, and a dull complexion.
In addition to moisture loss, skin with a damaged barrier remains exposed to environmental assaults such as pollution, UV rays, and blue light. These three are the main factors that accelerate aging, causing the skin to develop fine lines and wrinkles and lose volume and elasticity.
When the barrier is weakened, your skin is also exposed to irritants, microorganisms, and allergens. When these penetrate the stratum corneum, they can cause inflammation, redness, and sensitivity. For people with genetic conditions such as eczema or rosacea, symptoms may worsen if the barrier is impaired.
5 signs your skin barrier is damaged
How do I know if my skin barrier is damaged? Below are some tell-tale signs that your skin barrier is weakened.
- drying
- dehydration
- flaky
- redness and irritation
- Fine lines and wrinkles
1. Drying
When the skin barrier is damaged, it is no longer able to retain moisture, resulting in dryness. Dry skin often feels rough or flaky, making it difficult to maintain a smooth, moisturized appearance. This dryness is not just a surface level problem. This reflects a further decline in the skin’s ability to retain essential moisture, necessitating a more nourishing and hydrating skin care routine.
2. Dehydration symptoms
Dehydration is more than just dryness. It’s a lack of moisture in the skin. This can make your skin look tight and dull. Dry skin loses firmness and elasticity, reducing its youthful appearance. It’s important to hydrate your skin from the inside out by drinking plenty of water and hydrating your skin from the outside in by using hydrating skin care products.
3. Flaky
A visible sign that the skin’s barrier function is compromised is flaking. This occurs when the skin loses its ability to self-exfoliate and effectively slough off dead skin cells, resulting in the formation of a buildup that appears as flaky patches. This is a sign that your skin needs gentle exfoliation and deep hydration to regain its smooth texture.
4. Redness and irritation
When the skin barrier is damaged, it becomes more susceptible to irritation, causing redness and discomfort. This can be exacerbated by environmental factors, harsh skin care products, and even stress. It’s important to use gentle, soothing products that reduce irritation and help restore the skin barrier.
5. Fine lines and wrinkles
Some fine lines and wrinkles are a natural part of aging, but if they suddenly become noticeable, they could be a sign of dehydration and a damaged skin barrier. Dry skin can accentuate these wrinkles and make them more noticeable. Moisturizing your skin will plump it up and reduce the appearance of these wrinkles.
How can we protect and repair it?
Now that we know how damage to our skin barrier affects our complexion, how can we protect and repair it?
1. Wear sunscreen every day
The first rule for maintaining a healthy skin barrier: Wear sunscreen daily. Dr. Khorasani recommends applying sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher daily and avoiding sun exposure during the hours when the UV index is highest (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.). We recommend Lilikoi Daily Defense Moisturizer SPF 40. This moisturizer is formulated with cacao seed extract, satsuma mandarin peel, and all-mineral protection with SPF 40 to improve the appearance of skin exposed to blue light stress and pollution. Your skin will also enjoy the hydrating feel of Radiant Protection SPF Fluid, which contains zinc oxide to protect your skin from UVA and UVB rays. It also contains bakuchiol, a retinol alternative that smooths skin texture and minimizes visible signs of aging, and niacinamide, an ingredient that retains moisture and supports the skin barrier. .
2. Keep your skin moisturized
Another way to protect your skin barrier is to keep your skin moisturized and hydrated. In addition to drinking plenty of water to keep your skin hydrated from within, follow a skin care regimen that contains ingredients that replenish and retain your skin’s natural moisture. Snow mushroom is one ingredient that rivals the moisturizing properties of hyaluronic acid. This deeply hydrating ingredient is found in Birch Water Purifying Essence, Snow Mushroom & Reishi Mask, and Snow Mushroom Moisture Cloud Eye Cream.
3. Look for ingredients rich in antioxidants
Including antioxidants in both your diet and skin care can protect your skin from the drying effects of environmental stressors. Antioxidants fight free radicals and minimize visible signs of aging caused by oxidative damage. For a powerful dose of antioxidants, look for ingredients like vitamin C, mangosteen, birch water, and lilikoi. We recommend applying Citrus & Kale’s powerful C+E serum, which is rich in vitamin C, vitamin E, and ferulic acid.
4. Choose organic skin care
Avoid chemical skin care products that can disrupt your skin’s barrier. Instead, look for natural, organic, and Biodynamic® products that maintain strength and integrity. These types of ingredients infuse your skin with beneficial nutrients that optimize skin health and strengthen the barrier. When shopping for your favorite skin care products, be wary of counterfeit cosmetics masquerading as the real thing. These often contain ingredients that do nothing, are ineffective, or even harmful to your skin’s barrier.
5. Protect your skin microbiome
Keeping your skin microbiome balanced is important to maintaining a healthy skin barrier. The microbiome is the community of bacteria that lives on the surface of your skin. Environmental stressors can disrupt the skin’s microbiome and affect the skin’s moisture barrier, causing dry, dull, and reactive skin. Nourishing Kombucha Microbiome Balancing Essence gently soothes and restores skin’s natural balance. A blend of prebiotics, pro*biotics, and postbiotics work in harmony to enhance brightness, while key ingredients like white tea and jasmine flower soothe dry, dull skin for a healthy glow. brings. You can also use Kombucha Microbiome Foaming Cleanser. This lightweight liquid-to-foam cleanser is made with targeted micellar technology to gently remove impurities without over-exfoliating the skin.
Wondering what products to use to keep your skin barrier intact? Chat with a certified esthetician at an Eminence Organics Spa partner to find the best products for your skin type and skin concerns .
*These products do not contain live probiotic cultures.
