Keeping your body healthy is important, and that includes your skin. When your skin barrier is strong, it protects your skin from external stressors and locks in moisture. when it’s damaged, irritants and allergens enter and water evaporates, leaving your skin barrier compromised. This is when problems can arise, resulting in dull, dry and dehydrated skin. We’ll explore the five telltale signs of a damaged skin barrier: increased sensitivity, dryness, dehydration, peeling, redness and irritation, as well as fine lines and wrinkles. Understanding these signs is crucial to recognizing when your skin needs extra care. Here’s everything you need to know about your skin barrier and our tips to protect and repair it.
What is your skin barrier?
An easy way to understand how your skin barrier works is to think of your skin as a brick and mortar structure. Dr. Human Khorasani, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and skin cancer surgeon in New York explains, “The skin’s barrier is provided by structures called lamellae. These sheets are found between the cells of the top layer of skin called the stratum corneum. These structures are analogous to the mortar between the bricks in the wall of your house.” The lamellae, which are made up of fatty acids, cholesterol and ceramides, hold your skin cells in place and keep your stratum corneum intact.
What is he doing?
Your skin barrier acts as a guardian for your skin. It protects your skin from bacteria and irritants and seals in moisture and hydration. Skin with a healthy barrier is well hydrated, hydrated, elastic and flexible. It can better withstand the negative effects of environmental stress and ages gracefully. On the other hand, a thin or weak barrier allows irritants to enter and hydrate. This causes dullness, dryness and sensitivity and can lead to inflammation and premature aging.
How is the skin barrier damaged?
Over time, your skin’s barrier can weaken. Aging, exposure to environmental stressors, and daily activities such as excessive cleaning cause cumulative damage that compromises its structure. Remember our brick and mortar analogy? Without proper care, the mortar between the bricks weakens and cracks begin to appear. These create space for bacteria and irritants to enter the skin and moisture and hydration to escape.
Here are some things that can damage your skin barrier:
- Natural aging
- Pollution
- exposure to UV radiation
- Blue light
- Bacteria
- Stress
- Bad nutrition
- Harsh chemical skin care
- Over-cleansing and excessive exfoliation
- Extreme temperatures
- Genetic conditions such as psoriasis
What happens when it’s damaged?
One of the main effects of skin barrier damage is transepidermal water loss (TEWL). Through this process, hydration and moisture passively evaporate through the disrupted barrier, leading to dryness and dehydration. This enhances the visible signs of aging and contributes to inflammation, sensitivity and a dull complexion.
In addition to moisture loss, skin with a damaged barrier is left exposed to environmental assaults from pollution, UV rays and blue light. These are three key factors that contribute to accelerated aging, causing the skin to develop fine lines and wrinkles, as well as lose volume and elasticity.
With a weakened barrier, your skin is also exposed to irritants, germs and allergens. When these penetrate the stratum corneum, they can cause inflammation, redness and sensitivity. For those with genetic conditions such as eczema and rosacea, a weakened barrier can worsen symptoms.
5 Signs Your Skin Barrier Is Damaged
How can you tell if your skin barrier is damaged? These are some tell-tale signs that your skin barrier has weakened:
- Dryness
- Dehydration
- Flaky
- Redness and irritation
- Fine lines and wrinkles
1. Dryness
When your skin’s barrier is damaged, it struggles to retain moisture, leading to dryness. Dry skin often feels rough and looks flaky, making it difficult to maintain a smooth and hydrated appearance. This dryness isn’t just a surface-level concern. it reflects a deeper inability of the skin to retain needed moisture, necessitating a more nurturing and moisture-rich skin care routine.
2. Dehydration
Dehydration is more than just dryness. it is a lack of water in the skin. This can make your skin feel tight and look dull. Dehydrated skin loses its firmness and elasticity, leading to a less youthful appearance. It is important to hydrate the skin both internally by drinking plenty of water and externally through moisturizing skin care products.
3. Detail
A visible sign of a compromised skin barrier is peeling. This occurs when the skin loses its ability to exfoliate and shed dead skin cells effectively, resulting in the buildup that appears as scaly patches. It’s a sign that your skin needs gentle exfoliation and deep hydration to restore its smooth texture.
4. Redness and Irritation
Damaged skin barriers are more sensitive to irritation, leading to redness and discomfort. This can be aggravated by environmental factors, harsh skin care products or even stress. It is important to use gentle, soothing products that reduce irritation and help restore the skin barrier.
5. Fine lines and wrinkles
While some fine lines and wrinkles are a natural part of aging, a sudden increase in their visibility can be a sign of dehydration and a damaged skin barrier. Dehydrated skin can accentuate these lines, making them more pronounced. Hydrating the skin can plump it up and reduce the appearance of these lines.
How can you protect and repair it?
Now that you know what causes skin barrier damage to your skin, how can you protect and repair it?
1. Apply sunscreen daily
Rule number one for a healthy skin barrier: Apply sunscreen every day. Dr. Khorasani recommends applying sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher daily and avoiding sun exposure when the UV index is at its highest (from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.). We recommend Lilikoi Daily Defense Moisturizer SPF 40. This moisturizer is formulated with cocoa bean extract, satsuma mandarin peel and SPF 40 protection with all minerals to improve the appearance of skin exposed to blue light stress and pollution. Your skin will also enjoy the hydrating sensation of Radiant Protection SPF Fluid which contains zinc oxide to protect your skin from UVA and UVB rays. It also contains bakuchiol, a retinol alternative that evens skin texture to minimize the visible signs of aging, and niacinamide, an ingredient that maintains hydration and supports the skin barrier.
2. Keep skin hydrated
Another way to protect your skin barrier is to keep skin moisturized and hydrated. In addition to keeping your skin hydrated internally by drinking plenty of water, you can apply skin care with ingredients that replenish and maintain your skin’s natural moisture. Snow mushroom is one such ingredient that rivals the moisturizing properties of hyaluronic acid. You can find this deep moisturizing ingredient in Birch Water Purifying Essence, Snow Mushroom & Reishi Masque, and Snow Mushroom Moisture Cloud Eye Cream.
3. Look for Antioxidant-Rich Ingredients
You can protect your skin from the drying effects of environmental stressors by loading up on antioxidants — both in your diet and in your skin care. Antioxidants fight free radicals to minimize the visible signs of aging caused by oxidative damage. Look for ingredients like vitamin C, mangosteen, birch water and lilacs for a powerful dose of antioxidants. We recommend applying the C+E Potent Citrus & Kale serum, which is rich in vitamins C and E and ferulic acid.
4. Choose Organic Skin Care
Avoid chemical skin care that can disrupt your skin’s barrier. Instead, look for natural, organic and Biodynamic® products that maintain strength and integrity. These types of ingredients infuse the skin with beneficial nutrients that optimize its health and strengthen its barrier. When shopping for your favorite skin care products, watch out for fake cosmetics masquerading as the real thing. These often include ineffective and even harmful ingredients that won’t do your skin any favors.
5. Protect the skin microbiome
Part of maintaining a healthy skin barrier is maintaining the balance of the skin microbiome. The microbiome is a community of bacteria that lives on the surface of your skin. Environmental stressors can disrupt our skin’s microbiome, affecting the skin’s moisture barrier and leading to dry, dull and reactive skin. Gently replenish your skin and restore its natural balance with the nourishing Kombucha Microbiome Balancing Essence. A blend of pre, pro* and postbiotics work in harmony to boost radiance, while key ingredients like white tea and jasmine flower soothe dry, dull skin for a healthy-looking glow. You can also use the Kombucha Microbiome Foaming Cleanser. This lightweight liquid-to-foam cleanser is made with targeted micellar technology to gently remove impurities without over-stripping the skin.
Want to know what products to use to keep your skin intact? Talk to a licensed esthetician at an Eminence Organics Spa partner to find the best products for your skin type and skin concerns.
*These products do not contain live probiotic cultures.
