The skin barrier is located on the uppermost layer of the skin, its function is to protect our skin against aggressors and free radicals whilst retaining moisture in the skin. It is one of the most important organs in the human body. One of its main jobs is to prevent chemicals, microbes and allergens from penetrating the skin. If your skin barrier is damaged it can cause irritation, sensitivity, redness and moisture loss leaving it difficult to know what to apply.
How can the skin barrier become compromised?
Our skin goes through many different factors which can cause damage to the skin’s barrier: UV rays, pollution, stress, allergies and active ingredients are just to name a few. It is important to maintain a healthy barrier so our skin can stay fully protected against the environments which we live in.
Active ingredients in skincare can be one of the reasons our skin can become sensitized. There are so many active ingredients and acids which help rejuvenate and resurface our skin that it can be hard to understand when and how to use them. Many of us may overuse certain ingredients, like Retinol for example or layer ingredients that should not be use together which may cause discomfort in the skin.
Here are 4 ways to repair and protect your skin barrier:
1. Hydration
Keeping your skin hydrated is key for happy skin, its also a main part in maintaining the function of our skin’s barrier. Ceramides are long-chain fatty acids that act as a ‘second skin’ for a damaged barrier. They help heal irritation and dryness, leaving your skin feeling repaired and moisturised. DeliKate Recovery Serum is infused with ceramides and omegas to help support the skins barrier and heal the skin.
2. Fragrance Free
Try using products that contain zero fragrance, these tend to be gentler for a sensitized or reactive skin type. Our DeliKate Line is fragrance free and contains ceramides and omegas to help soothe stressed, irritated skin. If you suffer from cracked dry skin and need something which you can use on the body or face our Dry Skin Saver is also free from fragrance and can be used as a multi-purpose cream.
3. Don’t over-use active ingredients
Ingredients like Retinol and Glycolic Acid will naturally draw out moisture and turn over skin cells which may lead to dryness and irritation. This is a normal process for both ingredients so we would recommend starting off slow when using active ingredients and stick to 1 'active ingredient' per day to keep the skin happy. Using a ceramide base cream or serum after an active within your routine will help your skin recover quicker and heal faster.
One of the most important products to be using is SPF! Sun protection is vital to maintain a healthy skin barrier, prevent pigmentation, sun damage/ageing and skin cancer. We would aim to be wearing SPF every day even if the sun is not shinning, and especially if we are using active ingredients which can cause sensitivity with the sun.
