How to Repair a Damaged Skin Barrier Function

Last updated on January 11th, 2025 at 03:48 pm

The skin barrier, also known as the stratum corneum, is your skin’s first line of defense against environmental stressors, pollutants, and harmful bacteria. The skin barrier function is responsible for binding water between the cells of the epidermis making the skin look smooth, firm and overall keeping the skin healthy. However, when your skin barrier is compromised, it can lead to a host of issues like dryness, redness, irritation, and increased sensitivity and most skincare products will not work until the repair is done. If you’re experiencing these symptoms, it’s crucial to take steps to repair your damaged skin barrier.

Keeping the skin barrier function healthy is part of good skincare and it makes a huge difference between healthy and unhealthy skin. If the lipid barrier is damaged, it is said to be impaired. An impaired skin barrier looks dry, chapped, rough, flaky and rough.

Try this at home: Get some lemon juice and rub it on your arm, if you don’t feel anything then that’s great. If you feel burns or inflammation, then your skin barrier is damaged and needs to be repaired. A healthy skin barrier function will keep the lemon juice from entering the epidermis. In this post, we’ll explore how to recognize a damaged skin barrier and the essential tips and tricks to restore it to its optimal state.

Signs Of A Damaged Skin Barrier

Before going into the repair process, it’s important to know the signs of a damaged skin barrier. Here are some common indicators:

1. Dryness and Flakiness: Your skin feels tight, dry, and rough to the touch.
2. Redness and Irritation: You may notice persistent redness, inflammation, or a burning sensation.
3. Increased Sensitivity: Your skin becomes more reactive to skincare products and environmental factors.
4. Breakouts: A weakened barrier can lead to more frequent and severe acne breakouts.
5. Dehydration: Your skin loses moisture quickly, leading to a dull, lacklustre appearance.

Causes Of a Damaged Skin Barrier

Understanding the causes of a damaged skin barrier can help you avoid these issues in the future. Common culprits include:

1. Over-Exfoliation: Using harsh scrubs or exfoliants too frequently can strip your skin of its natural oils and disrupt the barrier.
2. Harsh Cleansers: Products with high pH levels, sulfates, or alcohol can be too harsh for the skin, leading to barrier damage.
3. Environmental Stressors: Exposure to pollution, UV radiation, and extreme weather conditions can weaken the skin barrier over time.
4. Dehydration: Lack of proper hydration, both internally and externally, can dry out the skin and impair its protective functions.
5. Overuse of Active Ingredients: Excessive use of strong skincare actives like retinol, AHAs, or BHAs can compromise the skin barrier.

How To Repair A Damaged Skin Barrier Function

Repairing your skin barrier requires a gentle, mindful approach. Here’s how you can restore and protect your skin:

1. Simplify Your Skincare Routine

When your skin barrier is compromised, less is more. Simplify your skincare routine by sticking to the basics: a gentle cleanser, a hydrating moisturizer, and sunscreen. Avoid using multiple active ingredients at once, as this can further irritate your skin.

2. Proper Skin Cleansing Using A Gentle, Hydrating Cleanser

Skin cleansing is really basic but it is the first step towards a healthy or impaired skin barrier. Once this stage goes wrong, the whole skincare is affected. When choosing a cleanser for your skin, consider the PH, whether it’s foaming or not and how long the cleanser is left on your face.

Foaming cleansers are excellent for removing dirt and sebums but they can irritate and dry out your skin. Also, many foaming cleansers increase the skin’s PH due to their alkalinity making the skin dry and rough. You may want to consider the kind of cleanser you buy.

Switch to a gentle, non-foaming cleanser with a low pH (around 5.5) to avoid stripping your skin of its natural oils. Look for cleansers that contain hydrating ingredients like glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and ceramides.

No matter what your skin type is, look for cleansers with PH close to the skin’s acid mantle (PH 4.0 – 6.5). Learn more about cleansers by reading “how to cleanse your face properly“

3. Incorporate Barrier-Repairing Ingredients

Opt for products containing ingredients that are known to support and repair the skin barrier:

• Ceramides: These are lipids that naturally occur in the skin and are essential for maintaining a healthy barrier.
• Hyaluronic Acid: A powerful humectant that attracts moisture to the skin, helping to keep it hydrated.
• Niacinamide: This form of vitamin B3 strengthens the skin barrier, reduces inflammation, and improves skin elasticity.
• Fatty Acids: Ingredients like shea butter, squalane, and jojoba oil help to replenish the skin’s lipid layer.

4. Apply Moisturizers

When the skin is dehydrated, it suffers from a lack of moisture on the surface of the skin. Moisturizing is key to repairing a damaged skin barrier. Choose a moisturizer that is rich in emollients, humectants, and occlusives to lock in moisture and protect your skin. Look for products with ingredients like these 3 actives: ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acids.

If one of these 3 is missing in your moisturizer, the repair of the skin barrier function is delayed. A complete mixture of these 3 components in your moisturizer allows skin barrier repair recovery.

Types of moisturizers with Cholesterol, Ceramides and free fatty acids are:

5. Apply Natural Oils

Natural oils are everywhere and inexpensive but choosing the right kind of natural oil matters a lot. They enhance the skin barrier function and improve skin hydration. The best kind of natural oil to buy in this regard are those that are high in Linoleic Acid.

Linoleic acid is a polyunsaturated fatty acid that is rich in Omega-6. You can find such oils in Sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, hemp seed oil, raspberry seed oil, rosehip oil and sea buckthorn oil are great for the skin. If there are low levels of linoleic acid in the skin, the skin barrier function becomes impaired leading to acne and skin dryness.

6. Look Out For Water-Loving Ingredients

Applying lipids alone without the use of water-loving ingredients is not effective. These ingredients work by attracting water while lipids hold the water tightly to seal in the moisture. The mixture of lipids and hydration must work hand in hand to keep the skin healthy.

Check out ingredients that contain hyaluronic acid and sodium PCA. They are excellent hydration and readily accepted by the skin. You can find them in creams, serums, sunscreens and other hydrating products.

7. Supplementation Of Flaxseed Oil For Sensitive Skin Type

If you have sensitive skin, you might want to try supplementing with flaxseed oil. Supplementing with Flaxseed oil according to Skin Pharmacology and Physiology improves skin barrier hydration, reduces redness, roughness and scaling.

The study had 13 women with sensitive skin supplements with flaxseed oil for 12 weeks. At the end of the study, skin hydration and smoothness improved, inflammation and skin irritation decreased. You should consult your healthcare professional before starting any supplements.

8. Exfoliate Your Skin & Avoid Over-Exfoliation

While exfoliation is important for removing dead skin cells, over-exfoliation can be detrimental to your skin barrier. If your barrier is damaged, it’s best to take a break from exfoliants. Once your skin starts to recover, reintroduce exfoliation slowly and opt for gentler options like gluconolactone or tartaric acid

Using proper exfoliants like Alpha hydroxy acids (AHA) enhances the skin barrier function and improves the skin’s appearance. Not all AHAs are capable of improving the skin barrier function. The best AHA to improve the skin barrier are those that contain gluconolactone and tartaric acid.

A study had 11 healthy participants use four different types of AHA’s (Glycolic acid, lactic acid, tartaric acid and gluconolactone) for 4 weeks. At the end of the study, the gluconolactone and tartaric acid groups saw significant improvement in their skin barrier compared to the glycolic and lactic acid groups.

You would find gluconolactone commercialised in PHA skincare products. It contains anti-aging benefits, strengthens the skin barrier, is gentle and moisturises the skin.

9. Use Your Sunscreen

Sun exposure can further damage a compromised skin barrier. Always apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen with at least SPF 30 during the day, even if you’re indoors. Physical sunscreens with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide are generally more soothing for sensitive skin.

When picking sunscreens, look for an all-rounder sunscreen that protects against both UVA and UVB. Check out this post for facts you need to know about sunscreen.

10. Apply Your Vitamins

Not all vitamins help to improve the skin barrier function but you see vitamin B3 and vitamin C are the ones to look out for.

Vitamin B3 or Niacinamide has numerous benefits on the skin. The topical application of niacinamide stabilizes the skin barrier function, reduces water loss, and stimulates ceramides making it useful for dryness. In short, the application of niacinamide increases the production of ceramides, cholesterol and free fatty acids important for the skin barrier function.

Also, vitamin C helps to heal wounds faster, neutralizes free radicals and stimulates the production of collagen. Both of these vitamins are critical to skin barrier function improvement.

11. Stay Hydrated

Hydration is crucial for maintaining a healthy skin barrier. Drink plenty of water throughout the day to keep your skin hydrated from the inside out. You can also use a hydrating facial mist or essence to boost moisture levels during the day.

12. Be patient and Consistent

Repairing a damaged skin barrier takes time, so be patient. Stick to your simplified skincare routine and give your skin the time it needs to heal. Avoid trying new products too frequently, as this can lead to further irritation.

Conclusion

A damaged skin barrier can be frustrating, but with the right approach, you can restore your skin to its healthy, balanced state. Focus on gentle, hydrating products that support barrier repair, and be mindful of your skincare routine to prevent further damage. By taking these steps, you’ll be well on your way to achieving clear, resilient skin.

If you found this post helpful, share it with others who may be struggling with similar skin issues. And don’t forget to leave a comment below with your own tips or experiences in repairing a damaged skin barrier!