Have You Damaged Your Skin’s Barrier? 

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Episode Summary – Have You Damaged Your Skin’s Barrier? Ep-28

What Is Your Skin Barrier?

Your skin barrier is protected by a thin layer of lipids and sweat from your glands. This protective layer is called the acid mantle. The main role of your acid mantle is to help your skin retain moisture while protecting it from harm caused by bacteria and environmental factors

If your acid mantle is out of balance, your skin barrier becomes more prone to damage.

Taking Care Of Your Acid Mantle

Not only does it have to contend with bacteria and pollution chipping away at it, there are many things we do in the name of good skincare that can damage our mantle.

The good news is that there are ways to maintain it.

You can adjust the pH of your skin by adding a substance to it that is either more acidic or more alkaline (chemistry, urghh…).

Anything you put on your skin that is higher or lower than its natural pH will raise or lower the skin’s pH as well. This can either be bad (i.e. weakening your acid mantle) or good (i.e. restoring skin to its naturally balanced state).

If you’re suffering from a damaged acid mantle, then swapping over to a pH balanced cleanser may be just the cure you’re looking for. Watching the pH of your cleansers in particular is important for people with:

• A compromised barrier
• Blemishes
• Redness

Even if you don’t suffer from these, if you incorporate AHA and BHA products into your beauty routine, you might also want to watch the pH of your face wash.

Why?

Because the pH of your face wash will also directly affect how well your AHA and BHA products work. If your cleanser is not correctly pH balanced, your acids will also be thrown out of balance, which can inhibit their effectiveness.

How To Know If You’ve Damaged Your Barrier

If you’re suffering from:

• Sore skin;
• Sudden irritation;
• Redness;
• Tingly skin;
• Dry skin no matter how much moisturiser you put on

You may have damaged your skin barrier.

This is common when you are using products that are poorly formulated, harsh, too basic or alkaline.

Don’t panic though. With the right care, you can regain a strong skin barrier and be back on the way to healthy, glowing skin before you know it!

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Repairing Your Skin Barrier

If you’ve overdone it on the acids or harsh cleansers, follow these steps:

1. Stick to the basics – when your skin is going haywire, the temptation is to add more and more products to try to get things right. However, the more complicated the routine, the harder it can be to repair skin problems. Resist the temptation to do more and get back to fundamentals.

2. Don’t go too hard on the cleanse – Using water that’s too hot, harsh cleansers or exfoliants may feel effective, but having a heavy cleanse may harm your skin. This is because not only does it strip away the dead skin cells on the surface, but your skin’s barrier as well. For a gentle yet effective cleansing routine that’s suitable for all skin types, check out:

• Cleansing Oil; and
• APLB Sensitive Micro Cleansing Foam.

Protecting And Maintaining Your Skin Barrier

There are a great range of K-Beauty products that can help with maintaining a strong skin barrier as well.

Depending on how much TLC your skin barrier needs, here are a few of our favourites.

• If you need all-round intensive barrier repair, try out Etude House’s Soon Jung 2x Barrier Intensive Cream. This pH balanced moisturiser is packed with Centella Asiatica and is free from potential irritants like synthetic fragrance, mineral oil or parabens. It can help to sooth and repair damaged skin.
• For a toner free from alcohol or fragrance, try iUNIK’s Hyaluronic Acidtoner.
• For repairing skin that feels dry and flaky, iUNIK’s Beta Glucan range is a great option. This range contains a moisture cream and serum, harnessing the antioxidant power of mushrooms to hydrate, assist with sensitivity and improve redness.

What To Do If You Liked Today’s Episode – Have You Damaged Your Skin’s Barrier? Ep-28

• Download your free copy of the Beginner’s Guide to K-Beauty

Resources For This Episode

• How to Know If You’ve Damaged Your Skin’s Barrier
• Why the pH of Your Face Wash Is So Important

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