Is there a direct link with your skin barrier and acne breakouts? Of course. In this blog, I’ll break down what exactly the skin barrier is, how a damaged skin barrier can be causing acne, and how to repair a damaged skin barrier. You might be over-exfoliating your skin barrier or damaging it – which in turn can cause irritation and more breakouts.
What Is The Skin Barrier?
The skin barrier is the moisture barrier and protective layer of the skin that is composed of ceramides, lipids & fatty acids. It acts as a shield from environmental factors and bacterial infections. It also keeps hydration within the skin.
“One vital function of the skin is to form an effective barrier between the organism and the environment. It maintains an ‘inside-outside’ barrier regulating water loss, and an ‘outside-inside’ barrier protecting the organism from external harm, including mechanical, chemical, and microbial” (source).
To put it in simple terms, your skin barrier is the layer of skin that stands between you and the world. Let’s say that your skin barrier is basically a security guard for your skin. A healthy skin barrier is very crucial when it comes to the health of your skin. When your skin barrier is damaged, your skin becomes more susceptible to external factors like pollution, UV damage, physical abrasion, and chemical irritants.
Acne can get much worse when you have an impaired skin moisture barrier as a result of the increased irritation and inflammation in the skin. Other skin conditions like eczema and rosacea can also flare up. Bacteria can infiltrate the skin easier too if the skin barrier is damaged.
How does the skin barrier become damaged?
These are the main ways that the skin barrier can become damaged and impaired. Protect yourself from these factors or avoid doing these damaging actions.
- Pollutants
- Environments that are too humid or too dry
- Over-exfoliation
- Over-washing & using cleansers that strip the skin barrier of its natural oals
- Stress
- Too much sun exposure
- Use of harsh chemicals
- UV Radiation
What are some signs that your skin barrier is damaged?
- Sensitivity
- Redness
- Tingling
- Dehydration
- Itchiness
Typically, it is fairly easy to recognize if your skin barrier is damaged or not. You will most likely experience a few of the symptoms listed above, typically starting with redness. Another common complaint from someone with a damaged skin barrier is that products will sting or burn when applied to the skin. Your skin becomes a lot more sensitive when touched or when applying products. So sometimes, the product itself could be perfectly fine, but the issue could be your skin barrier is so damaged, that your skin is sensitized and reacting to almost everything it comes in contact with.
How Do You Repair a Damaged Skin Barrier?
One of the first things you should do to repair a damaged skin barrier, is to be sure that you are not over cleansing your skin – or make sure you are using a cleanser that is not stripping your skin of necessary oils. The All Clear Mint Cleanser is a gentle cleanser that does not over strip or leave the skin feeling excessively dry. You may want to stick with using non acid actives in your cleansing routine while healing your barrier such as avoiding salicylic and glycolic cleansers.
Next, you should re-evalute the products that you are using on your skin. Are you using a 10-step routine? Perhaps you are using an excessive amount of products and need to go back to the basics. Take a break from some of the products you are using that may not be crucial for your skin. You could try a simple cleanse – maybe double cleanse with a gentle oil cleanser if you wear makeup, moisturize and SPF for 2-4 weeks to see if that helps repair your skin barrier.
If your skin is feeling sensitive to the touch, it would be best to keep your skin hydrated and moisturized. It is important to lock water and moisture in. If you’re keeping essential water in your skin, you’ll be able to speed up the healing process and your skin will become less irritated.
You may feel like your skin needs to be exfoliated, but stay away from exfoliants until your skin barrier is restored. Certain acne products have irritating products to it too such as retinol and it’s derivatives which may cause too much irritation on a damaged skin barrier. Don’t worry, once your skin barrier is restored you can get back to exfoliating every once in awhile and adding back in your acne treatments, but for now just give it a little bit of a rest. Your skin will thank you.
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