Your skin is often dehydrated, unevenly colored, prone to irritation and rashes... You haven't found the cause of your skin's unstable condition? Have you heard about how to restore your skin's protective layer but don't know how to care for it? In this article, Dermalogica will help you understand the skin protective barrier and how to effectively fix it at home.
What is the skin barrier?
The skin's protective barrier is located in the top layer, also known as the stratum corneum. The stratum corneum is the outermost layer of the skin epidermis. Keratinocytes are surrounded by a protein shell.
Its function is to maintain sweat and sebum secretion to protect the skin from dehydration. Besides, it prevents external agents as well as bacteria or fungi from entering the body through the epidermis.
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Is damaged skin barrier permanent?
If the stratum corneum has just been damaged, it may be due to improper skin care, harsh products or endocrine disorders. If you seek help from a specialist or dermatologist immediately, your skin will be easily resolved.
In most cases, when the skin's protective layer is damaged, if recognized promptly and treated properly, it will return to normal. So how to restore the outer layer and protect the skin? Dermalogica shares details below.
How to restore the skin's protective barrier?
3 simple ways to keep your skin barrier healthy. These methods are easy to do at home for any skin type.
Moisturizes and balances skin moisture
First, when you want your skin to maintain the best barrier, the pH is always around 5.5 and slightly acidic. Any deviation leads to destruction of the skin's ecosystem. From there, the skin will become easily irritated, dry and cause inflammation. You should prioritize ingredients that balance the natural oils on your skin when choosing cleansing products.
Second, nourish and moisturize to plump skin. Because skin that is maintained moisturized will always be happy skin. This is the most important factor when you want to restore the skin's horny layer. Popular ingredients to nourish and balance moisture include:
- Ceramides,
- Glycerin,
- Hyaluronic Acid (HA),
- Tocopherol or Tocopheryl Acetate (vitamin E),
- Niacinamide (vitamin B3),
- Panthenol (vitamin B5).
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Do not abuse the active ingredients of the product
Harsh chemicals in acne products, treatments or exfoliants will make the skin susceptible to diseases such as Eczema and Rosacea. To limit redness, peeling, and dryness, stop using harsh ingredients until your skin recovers. Then use anti-acne and anti-aging ingredients as prescribed by an expert or dermatologist.
Apply a gentle sunscreen every day
Broad-spectrum sunscreen with a minimum SPF of 30 or higher combined with antioxidants will bring great benefits to the skin. Not only does it protect the skin barrier from damage but it also prevents premature aging. You can also incorporate a diet rich in essential fatty acids. Or supplement with functional foods to nourish the skin from deep within. Because if you do not protect your skin 24/7, your skin will be exposed to radiation from the Sun's ultraviolet rays, HEV radiation (high energy blue light) from computers and devices. Leading to collagen being quickly broken down, leading to skin aging, and even worse, causing skin cancer.
Recovery time for damaged skin
- Healthy skin can take as little as 2 weeks and up to 1 month to repair stratum corneum function.
- Weak skin can be treated from 2 months to a maximum of 6 months to restore the skin's outer protective layer.
When recovering, you will feel the skin reduce redness, sensitivity, inflammation, dehydration and become smooth and firm.
Hopefully, with these shares, Dermalogica has brought readers useful knowledge. Always regularly update our news and media pages to learn more experiences about nurturing radiant and happy skin!