grooming routine, skin barrier, skin care tiops All the essential information on maintaining the health of your skin barrier. Image: Instagram/@cor.aesthetics.clinic
Phrases like "skin barrier," "moisture barrier," and "barrier function" are commonly used in skincare. Your skin's barrier function is twofold: First, it needs to trap moisture inside the layers of skin to prevent it from drying out or becoming flaky and irritated.
The long-term benefits of keeping skin hydrated can be seen in the skin's overall resilience, clarity, brightness, and suppleness.
The second barrier function is that the skin is the first line of defense against bacteria, pollutants, toxins, and UV rays. Products often promise to support the skin's barrier functions, which refers to one of those two things—and sometimes both.
The skin barrier is located in the epidermis, the outermost layer of skin—specifically, its outermost layer, called the stratum corneum or the lipid layer. In theory, any skincare regimen is inherently "pro barrier" because the skin itself is that barrier.
But there are ways in which this barrier can be compromised (exfoliating too much, not wearing sunscreen, picking at skin, and so on). So, let's look at what can do your skin wrong and how to make those things right and enhance your barrier for a strong complexion.
These habits, behaviors, and circumstances are common culprits behind compromised skin health.
Not Wearing SPF: You have to wear SPF every day, year-round. The UV rays that penetrate the earth's atmosphere (even through clouds, rain, and glass) are categorized in two ways: First, UVA rays damage collagen fibers and accelerate signs of aging (unfortunately, they're also responsible for that nice summer glow).
Second, UVB rays cause sunburn and skin cancer. Both types of UV rays dehydrate the skin and can lead to loss of moisture retention and increased skin thickness.
Taking Hot Showers: Hot water strips your skin of its natural oils—and those oils are both hydrating and nourishing, and they can damage some of the keratin cells in your skin that help it trap and retain moisture.
This one is a tough pill to swallow, but hot showers are supremely damning for your skin (and hair too). Even if you splash water on your face in the morning, make it lukewarm.
Living in Big Cities: Everyone is exposed to pollutants and toxins. But those of us who reside in big cities with lots of pollution from traffic, energy consumption, factories, etc. (in short, smog) are much more susceptible to these "environmental stressors." Toxins like this will damage collagen and dry up the lipid layer. Anyone who smokes is also at increased risk, but we'll file that habit underneath another bullet below.
Dry Seasons or Environments: If the air around you is dry, then it sucks out moisture from wherever it can find any—including your skin. (Ditto for hair and frizziness.) Air conditioners can have the same effect in hotter seasons, removing moisture to pump in cool air. While humidity is nobody's ideal scenario, it does help to try to pump moisture back into the air (and, thereby, your skin), so get a humidifier.
Poor Health Decisions: This is a big one, and it's not going to be a surprise to anyone. The healthier you are, the better your entire body functions.
Sure, some things will escalate things, like smoking, drug use, alcohol consumption, and processed sugary foods, but in the big picture, do your best to stay well hydrated, get ample sleep, be active every day, and eat as healthy as possible. (Don't cut the deserved indulgences, either. They can be good for your mental health. This leads us to…
General Stress: All types of stress can harm the skin, but that doesn't mean you must be totally risk-averse or avoid conflict. Just try to control what you can to minimize stress as much as possible, often by abiding by the healthy decisions in the previous bullet.
Aggressive Cleansing and Exfoliating: Exfoliation is essential for keeping skin smooth, clear, and bright, but it's also easy to over-exfoliate (with scrubs and chemical exfoliants) and significantly damage the skin's barrier function.
The same can happen with aggressive cleansing agents that overdry the skin instead of providing a gentle flush of surface-level buildup. Stick with trusted brands that promise specific results—and never shy away from words like "gentle" and "sensitive" when shopping for the right choice.
We like to say that if it's formulated for the most sensitive skin types, then it's probably good universally. Just be sure that the product you're using suits any other needs, like preventing acne or oil buildup—even then, there are plenty of options.
By now, it's obvious which habits and behaviors help reinforce healthy, fortified skin—basically, do the opposite of the abovementioned things. So, to avoid sounding like a broken record, we'll focus this section on the best ingredients you can look for in a skincare regimen to fortify the skin's barrier function. So, even a baseline regimen (with SPF during the day!) is a terrific start.
SPF: We'll repeat this from the tips above because it always bears repeating: Wear SPF. Daily. Please read up on it, too, to better understand SPF labels. At the very least, if you want to protect your face, then start the day with an SPF moisturizer.
Antioxidants: Antioxidants are like little soldiers who guard the fortress that is your skin. They reinforce its ability to thwart pollutants and toxins and even mitigate damage from UV rays. You can get so many different antioxidants, but the most common ones are vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin E, as well as selenium and zinc.
[Via GQ US]