How to repair your skin barrier

Posted in: Acne, Combination Skin, Dry Skin, Lines & Wrinkles, Oily Skin, Professional Treatments, Sagging with Repair and Restore Glow

Are your biggest skin concerns caused by something you’ve never heard of? They could be! Estheticians have long recognized the importance of healthy skin barriers – but many people outside of the industry have never even heard of them. You cannot have skin that is supple, healthy and protected if your barrier is damaged.

Plus, modern day life takes its toll on your natural barriers, which is why skin barrier repair has become a recent focus in the world of skin care. Keep reading to learn how to repair damaged barriers with the right skin barrier repair products for a youthful, calm complexion.

Do you have a damaged skin barrier?

Most people certainly do. If you have any of the following concerns, it’s very likely you have a damaged skin barrier:

Dehydration
Redness
Stinging skin
Itching
Flaky skin
Lines
Wrinkles
Breakouts
Excess oil
Blackheads

If you have one or more of the above concerns, you need to learn how to repair the damage and strengthen them, so you see results long term.

What is a skin barrier?

Skin barrier definition depends on which barrier you are talking about. The skin has several “barriers” – cellular walls, circulatory and lymphatic vessels, and the walls that separate each layer of the skin.

“Each of these is a ‘barrier’ that only allows certain substances to pass back and forth. But perhaps the most important is the hydrolipidic barrier, which resides on the surface of the skin (directly on top of the Stratum Corneum), and is comprised of dead skin cells, sebum and water.” –Teresa Stenzel, Bioelements Director of Education

Why do you need a strong barrier?

Strong skin barriers are necessary to protect the skin and its contents from damaging substances that would otherwise penetrate and absorb into the skin. They also to keep in nourishment, moisture, and in some cases are what allow bodily functions to take place and necessary substances to be transferred to wherever they need to go.

“As estheticians, we have long recognized that a depleted hydrolipidic barrier is a major common denominator for accelerated aging and unhealthy skin that looks older than its years.” –Stenzel

Without the protection that our hydrolipidic barrier provides, the skin is laid bare to every attack and will become increasingly weaker and the aging process will accelerate the longer the barrier is left out of balance. Plus, without a strong barrier to protect it, any skin care benefits are only temporary.

What damages the barrier?

“Skin damage occurs in a multitude of different ways, especially in today’s world” – Alina Houtz, Senior Esthetician, Jordan Thomas Salon & Spa

Specifically, your hydrolipidic barrier becomes damaged for many reasons, both internally and externally:

Internally: Certain skin conditions can easily lead to an impaired barrier. For example, those with rosacea have skin layers that contain less moisture and a circulatory system that has an impaired ability to transfer oxygen, nutrients and eliminate metabolic waste. This leads to dehydration, which then throws the hydrolipidic barrier out of whack as the skin becomes drier and flakier over time.

Someone with acne may have a skin that produces too much sebum, which affects the hydrolipidic barrier’s balance as well. Even natural, chronological aging can cause the barrier to become weaker.

Externally: Improper product and/or cosmetic use, over cleansing, over exfoliation, pollution, stress, unprotected UV exposure, poor diet, etc. can have a dramatic effect on the skin’s surface, which in turn obliterates the barrier.

“The harmful effects of UV rays and atmospheric pollution critically damage your barrier and are often the top two culprit