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Stocksy
The skin barrier has been a popular topic of discussion within the beauty industry lately, and for good reason. Its health is crucial to maintaining a thriving environment for the skin's natural pH level, and without it, the skin can act out. A damaged skin barrier can easily be spotted as skin looks more dry, redder, and inflamed. Furthermore, it can also feel tight and itchy.
Thankfully, there are many ways to keep your skin barrier in check. But if you do notice your skin going awry, there are also steps that you can take to restore a weakened skin barrier. It's all about knowing what can trigger a pH imbalance, such as environmental stressors and over-exfoliating.
With that in mind, we tapped board-certified dermatologists, Rachel Nazarian, MD, and Shari Marchbein, MD, to break down everything there is to know about the skin barrier. Below, find out what it is, how it works, how to know if yours is weakened, and then learn 10 ways you can repair a damaged skin barrier. Plus, find expert-recommended skincare products such as skin barrier-specific creams that'll help speed up the process.
Meet the Expert
- Rachel Nazarian, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist at Schweiger Dermatology in NYC.
- Shari Marchbein, MD, FAAD, is a board-certified dermatologist in Manhattan.
What Is the Skin Barrier?
The skin barrier, also sometimes referred to as the “moisture barrier” or “acid mantle,” is a term used to describe the top layer of your skin. "The barrier is essentially the delicate balance of skin’s hydration and microbiome that keep it strong and healthy," adds Dr. Nazarian.
When we talk about skin, it has three main layers: the epidermis, the outermost layer of the skin; the dermis, the middle layer of the skin that contains collagen, elastin, and the skin’s nerve and blood supply; and the subcutaneous fat that forms a barrier between skin and muscle.
The epidermis contains three main types of cells:
- Keratinocytes: These cells actually form what you think of as your “skin.” They are commonly referred to as bricks, with natural oils, ceramides, and cholesterols providing the glue that anchors them together into a mostly impermeable wall.
- Melanocytes: These cells produce melanin. Epidermal melanin absorbs ultraviolet radiation and protects underlying structures from UV damage. Melanin also gives the skin its natural skin tone.
- Langerhans cells: These are cells that help the skin mount an immune response to bacteria, fungi, and viruses.
Most references to the skin barrier are focused on the very top layer of the epidermis, the stratum corneum.
Why Is the Skin Barrier Important?
The skin barrier has two general roles: Keep the good stuff in and the bad stuff out. The skin barrier protects the internal body from physical toxins (such as pollution and harmful chemicals) and ultraviolet radiation from sun exposure. The skin barrier also helps the body to hold onto natural moisture by preventing transepidermal water loss.
Dr. Marchbein notes that “if the outermost layer of the epidermis (the stratum corneum) doesn’t contain enough water, skin will lose elasticity and appear dry, rough, and flaky. Poorly hydrated skin is also unable to maintain an appropriate intact skin barrier, leaving the skin more vulnerable to damage from external/environmental sources.” Dr. Nazarian adds that people with weakened skin barriers also tend to be more prone to redness, itching, and dryness.
A healthy skin barrier is also key to obtaining hydrated, glowing, even skin.
Signs of a Damaged Skin Barrier
Disruption in the core functions of the skin barrier can present in a number of ways, including:
- Rosacea and eczema: These conditions are partly caused by a genetic defect in the skin barrier. However, additional outside damage to the skin barrier can cause these conditions to flare up.
- Chronic skin irritation
- Itchy skin
- Dehydrated, dull skin
- Hyperpigmentation
- Skin infections
- Delayed wound healing
- Increased inflammation
What Can Damage Your Skin Barrier?
In general, certain lifestyle choices can damage the skin barrier: Smoking, poor sleep, stress, frequent hand-washing, and over-using exfoliants can all lead to a damaged skin barrier. However, environmental aggressors are also to blame. Pollution, wind, and UV radiation have all been proven to weaken skin barriers.
A combination of avoidable and unavoidable daily habits causes varying degrees of damage to the skin barrier.
How to Treat a Damaged Skin Barrier
1. Be Kind to Yourself
The first and most important approach to taking care of your skin barrier is to frame your skincare and cosmetic treatment routines as a practice to respect and celebrate your skin, not one to strip your skin of its natural pores and pigment. Glass skin does not exist. You will never look like you with a perfect filter at all times, but radiance and glow can be achieved.
2. Pare Down Your Skincare Routine
We cannot exaggerate the benefit of seeing an expert—aesthetician or board-certified dermatologist—to curate your skincare routine. Always ask yourself, “Why am I using this?” If the answer is “I don’t know” or “I heard it was good,” it may be time to reevaluate.
You can curate a targeted skincare routine with an expert or you can do it thanks to the plethora of research that lives on the internet. But, we want you to understand what a product is doing for your specific skin needs before you start using it. Of course, that means you should also sit down and decide: “What am I looking to achieve with my skincare routine?” For some, this is to decrease redness. For others, it may be evening the skin tone or getting acne under control. A goal-directed skincare routine will be effective, simpler, gentler, and cheaper.
And remember, your skincare routine will likely vary by the season. Dr. Marchbein recommends “using fragrance-free products and being cautious with any product or chemical/ingredient that may exacerbate irritation or inflammation such as alcohol, various acids (such as salicylic and glycolic acid), retinoids (used for acne and anti-aging), and other harsh exfoliants” during the colder, winter months when the skin may be more sensitive.
3. Use a Gentle (but Effective) Skin Cleanser
Because urban environments damage the skin, it’s important to remove all remnants of pollution at the end of the day. It’s also important to protect those natural ceramides and oils that form the glue to your skin’s barrier. The ideal cleansing routine removes makeup, small particulate pollution matter, and dirt without stripping the skin. Depending on how many products you have on your skin, you may want to do a “double cleanse” to achieve this.
4. Consider a Serum or Moisturizer Designed With Your Skin Barrier in Mind
Prioritize ingredients that are designed to support the skin barrier. You can either layer these ingredients with your actives or use them on days that you skip your actives. Ingredients to look for include ceramides, hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and petrolatum.
5. Look for a Multifaceted Moisturizer
Dr. Marchbein notes that “the best moisturizers have a combination of emollients and humectants.”
Humectants attract and bind water, increasing the skin’s water content. According to Dr. Marchbein, “They can draw water to the skin either from the environment or enhance water absorption from the top layer of the skin. Glycerin and hyaluronic acid are probably the most well-known humectants in moisturizers, and others include alpha hydroxy acids (glycolic, lactic), panthenol, sorbitol, urea, and propylene and butylene glycol.”
Emollients are designed to soften the skin and include many ingredients that you're probably very familiar with such as dimethicone, grape seed and jojoba oils, cocoa and shea butters, stearyl and cetyl alcohols, mineral oil, and petroleum jelly, notes Marchbein.
In addition, moisturizers rich in ceramides will help to replace natural ceramides that are depleted throughout the day.
6. Stay Clear of Over-Exfoliating
The best way to repair this condition is to avoid any cleansers that further strip the natural barrier. As such, Dr. Nazarian says to avoid exfoliating ingredients such as AHAs or BHAs, including glycolic acid, salicylic acid, and retinoids. This is especially important if you're using actives in other areas of your routine.
7. Treat Inflammation
Once the skin is irritated, often anything and everything will worsen that irritation. Check-in with your skin each day. Skip exfoliating actives when the skin is feeling a little sensitive and instead reach for your soothing serum or moisturizer. For more significant inflammation, such as rosacea or eczema, see a board-certified dermatologist to treat the inflammation. You’ll likely find that you’re able to tolerate a wider range of products once your underlying condition is well managed. However, less will likely always be best for sensitive skin.
8. Don’t Forget to Take Care of Your Body
Sad but true, the skin from the neck down tends to be neglected. The body can be prone to dryness, itching, dullness, and hyperpigmentation in the same way the face is. Focus on using gentle cleansers on the body and the hands.
9. Take Care of Yourself
You’ve, of course, heard the phrase “Your skin is the largest organ in your body.” The key here is that your skin is part of your body. What you eat, how much your sleep, and how you release stress all impact your overall health and your skin health. The line between self-care and skincare has become blurred in the wrong direction. Wearing a face mask may or may not help sustain you through another week, but a good night’s rest will support your skin health.
10. Shower with Lukewarm Water
Dr. Nazarian says that hot water is much more likely to strip oils from the skin's surface, so the best way to clean your skin is to bathe with lukewarm water and use gentle soaps.
The Takeaway
Your skin barrier is meant to protect you by keeping bad things out and good things (like water) in. However, our outside environment and skincare routines are taking a toll on our skin barrier. The new wave of skin-barrier-friendly skincare products is an opportunity for a skincare reset, with a new focus on curating a functional, gentle, effective, and enjoyable routine. If you notice that your skin is more red, irritated, or sensitive than usual, your barrier may be damaged and it's time to take necessary steps to repair it.
