You can help repair your skin's barrier by simplifying your skin care regime, using products with a suitable pH, and using a moisturizer that contains ceramides or a humectant like hyaluronic acid. Moisturizers with petrolatum can also help your skin barrier seal in moisture.
After you eliminate what's causing the issue, a compromised barrier should take between two and four weeks to heal. Adopt a morning routine of washing with lukewarm water, followed by a moisturizer with barrier-supporting emollients, humectants, and occlusives plus ceramides and niacinamide.
Can your skin barrier be permanently damaged? In most cases, skin barrier damages can be fixed. If your skin barrier has just recently been compromised, maybe by over-exfoliating with harsh products, and you're seeking help immediately, then it should easily be fixed. The damage by then isn't permanent.
Your skin will look and feel irritated overall—think redness, scaly texture, itching, and inflammation. Gohara says you can even experience rashes, while Garrette says a telltale sign of a damaged barrier is that you experience stinging and burning when applying nonactive products like cleansers or hydrating serums.
The signs of a damaged skin barrier include dryness, dullness, redness, sensitivity, and breakouts. You can repair skin barrier damage by adjusting your skincare habits and moisturizing properly. The best ingredients for your skin barrier are humectants, emollients, ceramides, and antioxidants.
Normal skin needs high concentrations of vitamin C, which plays many roles in the skin, including the formation of the skin barrier and collagen in the dermis, the ability to counteract skin oxidation, and the modulation of cell signal pathways of cell growth and differentiation.
Cleansing and exfoliation are the two skincare steps most likely to cause damage to your barrier. Take an extra gentle approach, opting for the mildest products that still do the job. Forgo scrubs and rough buffing tools, and use a chemical exfoliant product instead.
When healing your skin barrier, less is definitely more. Take a couple of weeks off of active ingredients like acids, peels, retinoids, and vitamin C. “Especially avoid products with harsher chemicals designed to treat acne, exfoliate, or help with aging skin,” Dr. Geddes-Bruce suggests.
Ingredients that help with skin barrier restoration are Ceramides, Free Fatty Acids, Natural Moisturising Factors and Niacinamide. While water-retaining ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, glycerin and panthenol will support your skin's ability to retain moisture.
Common signs of a damaged moisture barrier include redness and rosacea, dryness and dehydration, flakiness and peeling, irritation, itchiness, roughness, a stinging or burning sensation when products are applied, and even increased breakout activity.