Your Ultimate Guide to Repairing a Compromised Skin Barrier
If you’ve ever experienced redness, dryness, flakiness or discomfort on your skin, there’s a high chance that your skin barrier is compromised. This can be due to a number of reasons such as over-exfoliation or exposure to a dry, cold climate. While a compromised skin barrier can be concerning, the good news is that there is hope. With a dedicated barrier-repair routine, you can get your skin back on track and restore its health, resilience, and glow.
In this guide, we’ll take you through the essential steps of a barrier-repair routine. These steps have been meticulously hand-picked to ensure you keep what’s necessary and leave out what’s harmful to your skin when it is compromised.
Step 1: Cleansing
Cleansing your skin is of utmost importance when it comes to a barrier-repair routine. However, it’s crucial to be mindful of the cleanser you choose. Over-washing your face can further contribute to a compromised skin barrier, therefore, it’s crucial to opt for a moisturizing formula that is specifically designed to support your skin barrier. Our Avocado Ceramide Moisture Barrier Cleanser is an excellent choice. Its proprietary blend of actives balances the delicate microbiome, soothes redness caused by dehydration and dryness with ceramides, and avocado oil, and pre- and postbiotics. The cleanser is also ideal for removing makeup, sunscreen, grime, and excess oil as it contains gentle makeup-removing agents that are mild enough for baby washes. Besides cleansing, it replenishes the skin barrier, making it the perfect cleanser to kickstart your barrier-repair routine.
Step 2: Treating
When it comes to repairing your skin barrier, ceramides play a crucial role. Ceramides are lipids that are naturally found throughout your skin barrier. They seal up cracks in the barrier to prevent external aggressors such as pollution and irritants from entering and moisture from escaping. Simply put, the more ceramides you have, the merrier. Our Avocado Ceramide Recovery Serum is carefully formulated to deliver five types of skin-identical ceramides that replenish those in your skin barrier, as well as rice milk and allantoin that soothe stressed-out skin. The serum also pairs well with other products like Guava Vitamin C Dark Spot Serum or Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops.
Step 3: Moisturizing
Moisturizing is an essential step when it comes to repairing your skin barrier. One ingredient you should look out for in a moisturizer is hyaluronic acid. This humectant is essential for helping your skin retain water, which is at a premium when your skin barrier is impaired. A compromised skin barrier allows for a higher rate of trans-epidermal water loss, which means water evaporates from within your skin, leaving it dehydrated. Our Plum Plump Hyaluronic Cream works for all skin types and features five molecular weights of hyaluronic acid that target different layers of skin, plumping it from the inside out. It also contains polyglutamic acid, a peptide that locks in moisture, and three types of antioxidant-packed plums that offer additional hydration. Ice willowherb is another ingredient that soothes skin and keeps excess oil under control.
Step 4: Protecting
Sun exposure is infamous for wreaking havoc on skin in numerous ways, and damaging your skin barrier is one of them. Proper sun protection is essential for repairing your skin barrier, and preventing damage down the line. Our Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Sunscreen SPF 50 goes above and beyond to protect your skin. It not only features SPF, but it also contains niacinamide, a versatile ingredient known for its anti-inflammatory properties, and hyaluronic acid. Additionally, aloe is brimming with vitamins that help defend the skin barrier.
To Summarize
By focusing on the above essential steps, your skin barrier will be on its way to full recovery, allowing you to get back to your favorite actives and treatments much faster. Remember, repairing your skin barrier takes time, so it’s important to be consistent in your routine. By following this guide, you’ll be able to repair and maintain a strong and healthy skin barrier for years to come.
