How To Repair a Damaged Skin Barrier
It’s the skin’s first line of defense, but so often the very last to be treated… Well, that was until it went VIRAL and made the Google search ‘how to repair skin barrier’ skyrocket. These ever-rising numbers tell us that, now more than ever, skins are suffering with damaged skin barriers thanks to a cocktail of an overload of product information and promises that, when applied all at the same time, can overwhelm the skin and disrupt its barrier – a cozy, protective film that so primitively wants to protect our bodies largest organ: the skin.
We’ve established the the 5 Signs Your Skin Barrier Is Impaired, now let’s delve into how to restore your skins barrier with a few easy to implement changes with the potential to dramatically improve the health of your skin.
Replenish Oil Content
Have you ever tried washing your hands with Vaseline? Us either... Why? Because water cannot penetrate through an oil like this; though, to be clear, we are NOT about to suggest you smother your face in an oil like this (we’re looking at you SkinTok and Skin Slugging).
Oil, famously, sits on top of water: water is the key to cellular communication and healthy functioning skin making it essential to replenish lost oils in order to repair your skins barrier. A crucial step in skin barrier repair is to reestablish the lipids and oils that your skin is so desperately begging you for, but not just any old oil from the kitchen cupboard either. We’re talking about lipids and oils that have an affinity with your skin’s natural oils and lipids; some of the best ingredients for repairing your skins barrier. By affinity we mean proven and evidence-based skin loving, breathable oils that have enhanced penetration through advanced delivery systems allowing them to work within the outer layer of your skin (the stratum corneum) to stimulate your own lipid production to further improve and repair your skins barrier long after you’ve washed it off in the morning.
By affinity, we mean proven and evidence-based skin-loving, breathable oils that have enhanced penetration through advanced delivery systems allowing them to work within the outer layer (the stratum corneum) to stimulate your own lipid production to further improve and repair it long after you’ve washed it off in the morning.
Some of our top picks for topical oils that will continue to restore and repair your skins barrier include:
Improve Hydration Levels
If water is the key to cellular communication and a healthy functioning skin, then we could all benefit from listening to Jennifer Aniston’s tips for perfect, age proof skin: drink more water… If only it was as simple as just this! Sure, drinking a bucket load of water a day has incredible health benefits, we are essentially made up of water, however what is most important is increasing our skins capacity to retain water. This is a fundamental part of the chase to restore your skins barrier and will ensure long lasting hydration and ultimately skin health. Some of the best ingredients for repairing barrier function through a skins increased capacity to hold onto water are Hyaluronic Acid, Niacinamide and PHA (Poly Hydroxy Acids). Whilst they all work in different ways, essentially these three powerhouse ingredients are extremely influential in your skin and the use of one (or all three) if appropriate for your skin condition will be sure to repair your skins barrier.
Some of our top picks for these powerhouse ingredients that will continue to repair your skins barrier are:
Internal Supplementation
Those lipids that make up our skins barrier and therefore repair it are formed partly due to our internal digestion of Omegas 3 & 6, explaining the push for including fatty fish, nuts, and spinach in our diets, however, the amount required for the skin to receive its part would involve us living on this diet and little else. Therefore, supplementing your Omega intake is the greatest way to ensure your body is metabolising the required lipids and ceramides to help repair your skin barrier. With supplementation you can expect to notice a drastically fast lipid increase alleviating dry, itchy, irritated and inflamed skins and ultimately restoring your skins barrier much faster than you would without.
The O Cosmedics EFA’s Max Complex supplements were formulated specifically for restoring your skins barrier.
Drip Feed Your Actives
A philosophy we’ve preached for over a decade, the slow introduction of actives in your skincare simply, because going too hard, too fast overwhelms the skin, causes inflammation, and disrupts barrier function with absolutely no benefit to the skin whatsoever. In order to repair your skins barrier, you may need to cut back your actives for a period of time until you’ve restored its function. Correct recommendation of actives being drip fed into the skin should not disrupt your barrier function, it should give it far greater integrity however, if you’re overusing or using the incorrect forms of Vitamin A for your skin, as well as harsh scrubs and AHA’s and BHA’s or soap based cleansers, you will need to shelf these products and visit a Skin Expert to have your skin care revised.
Restoring your skins barrier is paramount to achieving skin health as is the use of daily SPF to avoid harsh UV wreaking havoc and causing further disruption. O COSMEDICS is formulated with the highest respect for the skin’s barrier housing a plethora of vitamins, antioxidants, oils, and humectants to protect, strengthen and restore your skins barrier.
Find your nearest O Skin Expert: https://www.ocosmedics.com/find-a-clinic.html
Shop O Cosmedics: https://www.ocosmedics.com/
