Is your skin getting inflamed, itchy, dry, and patchy lately? Chances are your skin barrier is damaged. The top layer of skin is known as the skin barrier, it’s crucial to maintain as even makeup can’t hide it much from the world.
There is no denying that the skin barrier gets damaged easily. Using harsh skin care products, taking long hot showers, over-exfoliating your skin, and a few other habits contribute to damaging the skin barrier. However, the good news is it’s super easy to repair. With a few simple skincare habits, you can help your skin barrier get back to its healthiest state in no time! If you are planning to repair your skin barrier to achieve your skin goals, here is how can you fix and prevent the issue.
How to Repair Your Damaged Skin Barrier?
To repair your skin barrier you have to do the following.
Switch to Basic Skincare Routine – Skin Care products always have some harsh skincare ingredients. When the skin barrier is already damaged, using too many products would prevent it from healing and worsen the existing condition. So, during this time you have to cut off all necessary products from your routine and switch to the basics. So, until the skin heals, stick to cleansing, moisturizing, and protecting your skin from the sun.
Use Barrier Strengthening Cream – There are a lot of skin barrier-strengthening creams out there. You can use them to restore and strengthen your skin’s natural barrier.
Avoid Overwashing your Face – Overwashing your face strips off our natural oil which causes more damage to the skin barrier. As your skin barrier is already compromised, you have to wash your face less to speed up the healing process. More importantly, use a gentle cleanser, otherwise, this habit would not help you much.
Avoid Taking Too Long Hot Showers – Long hot showers are good for relieving stress but not for your skin. Taking long hot showers in such conditions strips off the skin’s natural oil and leads to dryness, irritation, and itchiness. So, during the time your skin is healing, you have to avoid taking hot showers.
Stop Using Abrasive Scrubs or Exfoliants – Scrubs or exfoliants are not suitable for skin during the healing period. They contain harsh chemicals and fragrances that can irritate your skin. Therefore, you have to stop using such products as soon as possible. If you have to use a scrub or exfoliant anyway, switch to a gentler one.
Protect Skin well from Sun – There are a lot of skin barrier aggressors, the sun is the biggest one of all. Avoid going in the sun as much as possible, wear sunscreen when you have to go. Both physical and chemical sunscreens lose their effectiveness in two hours, reapply this skincare product to speed up the repairing process.
Maintain a Balanced Diet – You have to maintain a balanced diet to repair your skin barrier. Cut down processed foods, and add avocado, sweet potato, nuts, and salmon, to nourish your skin from the inside out!
Fix your Sleep Schedule – It’s a widely known fact that our skin repairs and regenerates new cells while we sleep. Fix your sleep schedule to give your skin much-needed time to repair and regenerate new cells.
Cut Out Actives – When your skin barrier is damaged, the actives do more harm to the skin than good. So, you have to cut them out for some time to help your skin barrier to be healthy again. Once your skin barrier is restored, you can reintroduce actives and gradually achieve your desired skin.
How to protect your skin barrier?
Once your skin barrier is repaired, you have to protect it to keep your skin healthy. Here is what you can do to protect it.
Moisturize your Skin – Dry skin is more likely to get damaged than well-moisturized one. Therefore, you have to keep your skin moisturized to protect the skin barrier and get radiant skin.
Avoid Harsh Products – Even when your skin barrier is restored, it’s important to be careful about what you apply to your skin. Using harsh skincare products can still cause damage. So, now you have to use products that are gentle, non-irritating, and suitable for your skin type.
Wear Sunscreen – Exposure to the sun weakens and damages your skin barrier. So, now you have to avoid prolonged exposure to the sun and wear sunscreen. The sunscreen would prevent the UV rays from penetrating your skin and causing any damage.
Don’t Over-Exfoliate Your Skin – To achieve smooth skin, we often end up over-exfoliating our skin. Frequent or over-exfoliation strips off natural oil and the protective layers of skin. So, avoid rubbing too hard or using washcloths to exfoliate your skin too often to protect your skin barrier.
Get enough sleep – As we mentioned earlier, it’s important to get enough sleep to keep your skin barrier intact. Have 8 to 9 hours of sleep every day to allow your skin to repair itself naturally.
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