Breaking the Cycle - Understanding and Soothing Sensitive Skin

Sensitive skin can be frustrating to navigate. Remember, your skin is exposed to a number of different stressors and irritants on a daily basis. While your skin barrier does a great job at keeping them out, it’s not perfect and things can slip through.

When stressors sneak into your skin, they can trigger a stress response where you might experience those common skin concerns like redness and feelings of discomfort.

Unfortunately, this response can damage your skin barrier even more. Research has shown that applying irritants to the skin not only increases water loss, but also leads to lower levels of natural moisturizing factors within the skin. So a damaged skin barrier is a bit of a one-two punch where your skin can’t hold on to as much water causing it to feel dry and tight, leaving it even more vulnerable to external stressors.

So how do we break this cycle? It’s important to look at your full skincare regimen when finding the right solution for signs that your skin barrier is compromised and consider a routine focusing on using gentle products.

A good base routine for targeting signs of irritation is:

1. Prep your skin with a gentle cleanser (ideally a cream or balm-based option)
2. Treat your skin with serums that help with hydration and barrier support
3. Seal your skin with a moisturizer to help reduce water loss and support the skin barrier

If we take a look at each of the stages of our routine, we can begin to find the right skincare products that help target a damaged barrier, as well as signs of irritation.

Prep
This is where it is key to choose a cleanser that works to support or improve the skin barrier. Ideally, select a cream or balm-based cleanser which will help to provide delivery of lipids to the skin, which are key to helping reduce water loss. The Ordinary offers two great options, Glycolipid Cream Cleanser and Squalane Cleanser which both offer effective makeup removal while helping to respect the skin barrier.

Treat
Select products with ingredients that help to support hydration and the skin barrier, such as hyaluronic acid and niacinamide. Both of these molecules work by attracting and holding water inside the skin, as well as helping support molecules and processes within the skin that work to maintain the skin barrier. Consider adding Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 or Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% to your routine to boost hydration and offer barrier support.

Seal
When it comes to finishing your routine, it may be best to choose a moisturizer with a richer texture. Key ingredients to look for are hydrators (such as natural moisturizing factors), ceramides and actives like hyaluronic acid. A great option is our Natural Moisturizing Factors + PhytoCeramides, which is our richest moisturizer working to support the skin barrier and hydration.

It’s also a good idea to choose skincare that is fragrance-free, as some fragrance molecules can act as irritants for some people and may actually cause more damage to your skin barrier.

While you consider your skincare routine to help repair the skin barrier, it is important to watch out for these common sensitive skin care mistakes.

Over-exfoliation
Exfoliating the skin removes the top layer of skin which helps give us that radiant glow. However this is also reducing the physical barrier that the skin cells on the surface create to protect the skin. Not only this, but exfoliating too much can create further damage to the skin barrier, leaving it more vulnerable to signs of irritation from the exfoliators themselves, or subsequent products applied on top.

If your skin barrier is damaged, consider taking a break from exfoliation. That way you can focus on skin barrier maintenance instead of skin barrier repair.

Harsh Products
When focusing on repairing a compromised skin barrier, it’s important to also remove any products that may exacerbate the signs of irritation when the barrier is damaged. Consider replacing harsh cleansers that leave the skin feeling tight, and temporarily remove any products that may cause skin discomfort until your skin feels like it’s ready to start using them again.

Using Hot Water
Hot water can cause disruption to the skin barrier leaving it more prone to water loss. When washing, it’s best to opt for water that is cool to luke-warm while you are focusing on repairing your skin barrier.

Not Wearing SPF
UV exposure can also lead to a stress response inside the skin (seen as signs of redness we associate with sunburn), as well as damaging the skin barrier leading to increased water loss. Consider adding a broad-spectrum sunscreen for protection against the damaging effects of UV light. Those more prone to signs of irritation may wish to choose a mineral sunscreen that uses Zinc Oxide and / or Titanium dioxide as they are generally more tolerated by those prone to skin irritation.

Sensitive skin can be complex and frustrating to navigate but understanding the importance of the skin barrier can help us focus on a regimen that supports its health. Using gentle products, and incorporating ingredients like hyaluronic acid and niacinamide can help rebuild a stronger barrier.

Break the sensitive skin cycle and explore our range of skin barrier supporting products to give your skin the love it deserves. Want to learn more about the skin barrier? Check out our comprehensive guide.