In last week's blog, we answered the question “what is the skin barrier?” and took a look at some causes of and things that might lead to a damaged skin barrier. As a quick recap, the skin barrier is a combination of flat, layered skin cells and extracellular lipids. When this barrier becomes damaged, excess moisture can escape the skin, leading to dry and damaged patches. 

Let’s take a look at what is necessary for skin barrier repair and some ways that you can find damaged skin barrier relief. 

Skin Barrier Repair

The process of skin barrier repair is twofold, involving protection and allowing time for the body to heal itself. It’s incredibly important to remember that, during healing, the skin must be properly protected and moisturized; otherwise, the damage will continue to occur and accumulate. Let’s take a look at some ways that you can facilitate healing and repair of the skin barrier by answering some common skincare questions:

What Are Our Three Biggest Tips?

1: Use A Cleanser That Is Both Gentle & Protective

Here at Rejuvaskin, we have developed an everyday Rejuvaskin Facial Cleanser that will help rid your skin barrier of pollutants and hard-to-reach dirt and dust. We recommend using a product like this to “reset” the skin at least once a day. In fact, most of our customers use this cleanser twice a day because it cleans so well without being harsh.

2: Stick To Sensitive Skin Ingredients, Even If You Don’t Have To

Our skin is constantly trying to maintain a delicate balance of hydration and protection through natural oils. While it’s not necessarily bad to supplement the skin with hydrating products and oils, care should be taken to keep the balance intact. Skincare ingredients that are formulated for sensitive skin are generally much less harsh on the skin itself and less likely to upset this balance. Furthermore, sensitive skincare products will be your key to working towards damaged skin barrier relief.

3: Skin Barrier Repair Requires That You Stick With it

It may take you some time to nail down the perfect routine for your skin; in fact, you should expect it to take some time. You should also expect to have to switch up the products in your lineup as the seasons shift. However, the most important thing is that you find out what works and stick with it. You’ll actually do more damage to your skin by following your routine a couple of days a week than not at all. When it comes to skin, consistency is the key to success.

What Skincare Ingredients Should I Look for?

You’ll want to keep an eye out for skincare ingredients that will provide damaged skin barrier relief, critical nutrients, and protection for the healing skin. These ingredients may include aloe vera, essential oils, flower extracts, and hyaluronic acid. Keep in mind that you won’t see positive results immediately; keep a new product in your rotation for a week, then evaluate the effects. If a product is causing more problems than it solves, you’ll notice it within a few days.

Furthermore, you may find that, depending on what caused the damage to your skin barrier in the first place, some ingredients actually make your skin worse.

Skin Barrier Relief: What Ingredients Should I Avoid?

Generally speaking, you should try to avoid products that contain alcohol or low-pH (high acid) ingredients. Some skin types are also sensitive to fragrances but usually do well with all-natural essential oils. The most important thing you can do is listen to what your skin is telling you. If you break out or develop patches of dry, red skin after using a product, take the hint and remove that product from your rotation. Take a look at the list of ingredients and see if you can infer what the problem is.

How Long Does It Take To Repair The Skin Barrier?

Depending on the extent of damage that your skin’s barrier has endured, it can take anywhere from a week to months for skin barrier repair. If you find a skincare routine that works well for you (and you stick to it), your skin will heal faster. However, if you go through several products that set you back, it will take longer for your skin to heal. 

Now, if your skin is damaged already, changes to your skincare routine won’t show dramatic results overnight. The skin is a resilient organ, but damage to it still needs to heal at a healthy rate. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t see a lot of improvement in a day or two. 

Healthy skin is something that you put time and energy into now so that you can see the benefits later. Keep up with your skincare routine and trust the process. Unfortunately, skin is more sensitive than we realize; we take it for granted until there’s a glaring issue. If you start investing in your skin now, your body will thank you in the long run.