The skin barrier - how to repair a damaged skin barrier

If you love skincare like me or you are just getting into skincare, then you must have come across a lot of dermatologists, and skincare enthusiasts advocating the use of mild skincare products and being generally gentle with your skin in order to prevent damage to your skin barrier. You may be wondering what the skin barrier is and what function it serves. Well, look no further, I got you covered. In this post, I will dive into what the skin barrier is, how you can damage the skin barrier, and how to repair a damaged skin barrier.

So grab a cup of coffee, green tea or something…. and let’s dive in

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THE STRUCTURE OF THE SKIN

To understand what the skin barrier is let’s talk about the skin structure for a bit.

The skin is made up of three layers

The epidermis: This is the topmost layer of the skin. it contains cells that produce pigment. It is made up of 4 or 5 layers of cells depending on whether it is thin or thick skin. Generally speaking, our skin is thin skin meaning there are 4 layers of cells in the epidermis except on the palms and soles of our feet where there is an additional layer. The layers of cells in the epidermis from innermost to outermost are stratum basale, stratum spinosum, stratum granulosum, stratum lucidum, and stratum corneum.

The dermis: This layer contains nerve endings, oil, sweat glands, and hair follicles. The oil glands produce the sebum that keeps the hair and skin moisturized.

The hypodermis: This is the innermost layer of the skin and is made up of fat, connective tissues, and large blood vessels. This layer controls temperature.

WHAT IS THE SKIN BARRIER?

The skin barrier is the outermost layer of the epidermis; the Stratum Corneum which is made up of corneocytes (dead skin cells) and its lipid matrix comprised of Cholesterol, free fatty acids, and ceramides which hold the cells together in a brick and mortar fashion.

This lipid matrix is hydrophobic meaning, it repels water and this gives it its ability to form a water-resistant barrier. The skin barrier can be likened to a brick wall. with the corneocytes being the brick and the lipid matrix the mortar. In addition to these, the skin produces antimicrobial peptides form deeper layers that migrate upwards and contribute to the barrier function.

On the surface of the skin is a thin film called the acid mantle which is composed of free fatty acids from the sebum produced by the oil glands mixed with lactic and amino acids from the sweat. This is responsible for the slightly acidic pH of the skin which is about 5.5.

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WHAT IS SKIN BARRIER FUNCTION?

The skin is the largest organ of the body. the stratum corneum, as well as the acid mantle both, serve as the first line of defense for the body.

The skin barrier plays two crucial roles;

Forms a protective layer and prevents the penetration of irritants, microorganisms, and allergens

Prevents excessive water loss through the skin known as transepidermal water loss (TEWL).

The skin is involved in maintaining water balance. however, when the skin barrier gets damaged the amount of water lost becomes excessive leading to dehydration which can lead to a cascade of events ultimately leading to dryness, flakiness, itching, and acne.

WHAT IS SKIN BARRIER DAMAGE?

Skin barrier damage occurs when the structure of the skin barrier gets compromised from a variety of factors I will be discussing in a moment. when this occurs the lipid matrix becomes compromised and irritants easily penetrate the skin as well as excessive amounts of water been lost from the skin to the exterior. When your skin barrier becomes porous this leads to heightened sensitivity. You may notice that products that were previously well tolerated by your skin now gets your skin really irritated.

Skin sensitivity is characterized by redness, dryness, flaking, burning sensation, and itching

WHAT CAUSES SKIN BARRIER DAMAGE?

Now we know the basics, the next question would be; what factors can damage my skin barrier?

Well, there are a lot of factors that can alter and damage the skin barrier. some are within our control while others are not.

1.Age

Getting older is inevitable. As we get older so does the ability of our bodies to perform their functions wane. The production of lipids reduces as we get older. remember these lipids are the mortar that holds the cells together to form an impermeable barrier.

2. Harsh Chemicals in Skincare Products

The ingredients in skincare products we use can damage our skin. With skincare, it’s always better to play it safe with ingredients. ingredients like sulfates and alcohol can be very drying to the skin. They strip off the natural oils of the skin leaving the dry and dehydrated. Fragrances contained in some skin care products have been shown to be poorly tolerated by some people with sensitive skin.

3.Over-Exfoliation

This is a common skincare practice in the beauty industry. Exfoliation should be done not more than 2-3 times a week. Exfoliation simply means sluffing off dead skin cells. You should give the skin a break after you exfoliate. But a common practice seen is to exfoliate in multiple steps in a daily skincare routine. This leads to excessive stripping off of the stratum corneum leaving it thin and permeable to external factors.

4.Excessive Use Of Skin Actives

This is rapidly becoming common as a lot of people are going overboard with the use of skin actives. A lot of skincare routines are filled with skin actives in high concentrations. Ensure you rotate your skin actives.

Ingredients like AHA and BHAs shouldn’t be used together with retinoids or vitamin C products. Skin actives, when used excessively, can alter the skin’s natural pH, destroy the normal flora on the skin (good bacteria), and cause an overgrowth of bad bacteria and this can lead to inflammatory skin conditions.

5.Use of Physical Scrubs

I think a lot of people now know this, but if you don’t it’s alright 🙂 . Gone are the days of walnut scrubs. Physical scrubs cause microtears on the skin so opt for a gentle chemical exfoliant and even with these you always want to go gentle.

6. An Underlying Skin Condition

An underlying skin condition could be the cause of a damaged skin barrier. Conditions such as atopic dermatitis/eczema, rosacea, psoriasis and from contact dermatitis from allergens.

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR SKIN BARRIER

Like with everything, prevention is always better than cure. Getting your skin to bounce back from skin barrier damage can be a daunting task trust me, love! I’ve been there.

1. Use a Gentle/pH Balanced Cleanser

Our skin has a pH of about 5.5. So when getting a cleanser, lookout for pH optimized cleansers. Runaway from soaps as these tend to have very high pH values that alter the skin barrier.

Also, avoid facial cleansers containing sodium lauryl sulfates, these are harsh surfactants that dry the skin out. Dry skin can send signals to the oil glands to produce more oils to counteract the dryness which can clog the pores and cause acne.

2. Use a Hydrating Toner

Use toners that are rich in hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acids. this will augment the moisture levels of the skin and keep it supple and plump.

3.Moisturize Daily

Irrespective of your skin type, you need to moisturize daily. As with everything in skincare you need to get moisturizers formulated for your skin type. If you are oily then opt for a gel moisturizer, these are lightweight and will not clog your pores. For dryer skin types then look out for heavier creamy moisturizers that are rich in hydrating oils that can moisturize your skin and seal it from drying out.

4.Use Antioxidants

Antioxidants protect the skin from oxidative stress by fighting free radicals that damage the cells ( free radicals are unstable molecules that have the ability to steal electrons from stable molecules to stabilize themselves). when this occurs in the skin it can lead to an altered skin barrier function and premature signs of aging.

5. Use Sunscreen Daily

Sunblocks protect the skin from the ultraviolet sun rays. When the skin is left unprotected from the sun, UVB rays penetrate the skin and cause damage to the epidermis and are responsible for redness and sunburns associated with sun exposure. These sunburns cause inflammation and excessive loss of fluid from the skin and this in turn leads to dryness and dehydration of the skin.

UVA rays on the other hand penetrate deeper and cause collagen disruption. UVA rays are responsible for sagging skin, fine lines, and wrinkles. Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a minimum of SPF30( the SPF; sun protection factor is a measure of how well the sunscreen protects from UVB rays).

HOW TO REPAIR YOUR DAMAGED SKIN BARRIER

If you notice that your skin has become overly sensitive and irritated evidenced by a stinging or burning sensation when using products you have used in the past and tolerated well.

Signs such as itching, redness, rash, dry skin, and acne then chances are that you are dealing with a damaged skin barrier so sorry Love,🤗

To repair your damaged skin barrier you have to go back to the basics.

1. keep Your Skincare Routine Simple

When you are experiencing sensitivity as a result of damage to your skin barrier you have to go back to keeping it simple. Do away with the elaborate skincare routines and focus on allowing your skin to heal. Your skin is an organ and is capable of renewing itself. So sit back and allow it to do its work. use a gentle cleanser in the morning and evening and then follow up with a nourishing moisturizer packed with calming ingredients like aloe vera, calendula, niacinamide, panthenol

2. Evaluate The Triggers

Evaluate your skincare routine, did you add a new product in your routine, are you using too many skin actives, are you using products not formulated for your skin type? or are you having an allergic reaction?

If an allergen is responsible then discontinue its use and observe your skin for some days and see how it reacts.

3. Stop all Skin Actives for the Time Being

Giving your skin a break is paramount when u are experiencing any form of irritation with your skin. Skin actives though beneficial can be very harsh on the skin. so let them chill for a while and then reintroduce them back into your skincare routine one at a time. Before commencing your skin actives always do a patch test to ensure they can be well tolerated.

Ingredients like vitamin C, Retinoids, AHAs (alpha-hydroxy acids) and BHAs (beta hydroxy acids) should be avoided when your skin is acting up. Though they are beneficial in skincare in this situation they can do more harm than good.

4. Mild Cleansing

I also brought this down here because using mild cleansers is both important when your skin is healthy as well as when it is irritated from damage. stay away from the cleansers that contain SLS(sodium lauryl sulfate as they are drying and have a high PH that further worsens the damage by disrupting the skin’s pH farther from the normal.

Avoid over washing the face, you really do not need to wash your face more than twice a day.

5.Incorporate Skin Barrier Repair Ingredients

Your aim when trying to repair your ravaged skin’s moisture barrier is to use nourishing ingredients that will boost the skin’s moisture level and help it heal itself

The key ingredients to look out for are;

Niacinamide: Niacinamide is anti-inflammatory and is particularly beneficial when you are having redness or an allergic reaction. it is also needed in the synthesis of ceramides which in turn helps to retain moisture

Ceramides: Remember ceramides are the mortar/ glue that holds the skin cells together so using products formulated with ceramides will boost your skin barrier function

Hyaluronic acid: This is a naturally occurring humectant in the skin ( meaning it pulls water from the air into the skin) it is super moisturizing and has been shown to have the capacity to hold about 1000 of its weight in water.

6. Daily use of Sunscreen

Daily use of sunscreen is important for everyone, whether you have healthy skin or damaged skin. It should be the last step of your morning routine every single day.

7. Repair from within

Our skin reflects the state of our well being. Eating a balanced meal rich in fruits and vegetables and omega-3 fatty acids are important for healthy skin. drink lots of water and rest, yes just sleep.

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Final Thoughts

Maintaining a healthy skin barrier should be the goal of your skincare routine. If you have this in mind it will guide you when getting skincare products and in your skincare routines.

So Be gentle on your skin and remember less is more