Skincare should be your first defence to prevent damage to the skin barrier. With so many new fads that come up every week, people often end up overlooking the basic care steps for a healthy skin, i.e. protection of the skin barrier.

People have different skin types, and none of them is devoid of texture. There is nothing like even-toned skin or blurred skin promoted on social media. Instead of chasing behind trends, it is time to focus on the most important things in life – your skin barrier. Damage to the skin barrier includes irritation, tightness, and redness.

Signs of Damaged Skin Barrier: Revealed

• Irritation and Sensitivity: A damaged skin barrier can show up reactions to products applied on the skin. Sensations like heat or cold are signs of damaged skin barrier.
• Flakiness or Dryness: Evaporation of water from the skin can make it look flaky, tight or even dry, an easily noticeable sign of damaged skin barrier.
• Inflammation or Redness: People with damaged skin barrier will easily develop inflammation, rash, or redness.
• Acne or Breakouts: Broken or damaged skin barrier can promote acne and breakouts on the skin because of clogged pores.
• Stinging or Itchiness: Itching and tingling on the skin are many times because of a damaged skin barrier.
• Excessive Oil Production: People with dry skin will often produce more oil because of a damaged skin barrier.

Reasons for Damaged Skin Barrier

• Over-Exfoliation: Excessive use of harsh scrubs for over-exfoliation strips away skin’s natural oils. It can damage the skin barrier.
• Harsh Cosmetics: Cosmetics with excessive concentrations of retinol-like ingredients contribute to skin barrier damage.
• Environmental Factors: Daily exposure to the sun, as well as pollution, can compromise the skin barrier to a considerable extent.
• Poor Diet: Bad eating habits can increase the fatty acids in the body and compromise the skin barrier. Drinking less water can also aggravate skin barrier damage.
• Lack of Sleep or Stress: Not getting enough sleep can cause inflammation. The body will not get enough sleep and that’s why you will notice a slight damage to the skin.

Damaged Skin Barrier: Expert Tips for Treatment

• Exfoliate but Gently: Don’t indulge in an intense exfoliation technique. Keep things simple and avoid doing it more than 2 or 3 times in the week. Invest in AHA and BHA enriched exfoliants.
• Save Money On Foaming Cleansers: Don’t invest your money in foaming cleansers with sulphates. Invest in mild or even gentle cleansers like the superbly famous Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser.
• Restore with Ceramides: Invest in ceramide-rich serums or lotions to repair the damaged skin barrier.
• Apply Sunscreen More Religiously: Invest in a good sunscreen to block UV rays from damaging your skin barrier.
• Keep Harsh Substances at Bay: Avoid the use of toners with alcohol bases because they can excessively dry the skin and promote skin barrier damage.

Avoid Products with Active Ingredients: People can repair damaged skin barrier. They can strictly overuse products with active ingredients such as retinoids.