If your skin suffers from redness, irritation, dryness, dullness or breakouts then you’ve probably damaged your skin barrier.
Seeing hundreds of skincare reviews daily on social media can
make you think you need to be using more products than you do, or ones that are too harsh for your skin.
Laura Pearson has revealed the top buys to repair your skin barrier
Laura’s picks won’t break the bank
You’ll be amazed at how many skin complaints can be down to something as simple as a weakened skin barrier, and it’s not that hard to fix.
Here’s how you can do it on a budget…
What is a skin barrier and what does it do?
I had a chat with consultant dermatologist Dr Sina Ghadiri.
She says that this top skin layer basically acts as a “brick and mortar wall to protect against irritants, environmental damage and moisture loss”.
She explains that “over-cleansing, harsh exfoliation, excessive use of products with alcohol or exfoliating acids” can all damage this important barrier, along with environmental things like UV radiation,
pollution, and cold weather.
So, we know what it is, but how do we fix it? Dr Ghadiri advises that you streamline your skincare routine, avoiding exfoliating or active ingredients.
She says: “Focus on using a gentle, fragrance-free cleanser, and a rich, barrier-supporting moisturiser, containing ingredients like ceramides, fatty acids, glycerin, and squalane to give your skin time to recover.”
A month will be enough time generally to repair your skin barrier; but if you have had an existing skin condition flare-up like eczema or perioral dermatitis, it’s important to see a specialist, as treatment may involve prescribed products in addition to this simplified
skincare routine.
My favourite three brands for skin barrier repair are all available from the high street for an affordable price.
Byoma, Curel and the Dr Jart+ Ceramidin range all focus on ceramides as one of their key ingredients.
Ceramides are essential as they support the structure of your skin barrier, a bit like scaffolding.
Other ingredients to look out for to aid skin barrier repair are fatty acids, cholesterol, niacinamide, ectoin, squalane and glycerin.
These are all gentle and will hydrate, soothe and fortify the skin.
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Laura's top recommendations
These are the products I recommend:
Byoma Creamy Jelly Cleanser – £9.99 from Boots
Curel Hydrating Makeup Cleanser – £16.50 from Boots
Dr Jart Ceramidin Skin Barrier Moisturising Milky Lotion – £33 from Boots
Byoma Barrier+ Repair Treatment – £16.99 from Boots
Curel Rejuvenating Day Cream – £22.50 from Boots
