How to Protect Your Skin Barrier

The role of the skin barrier 

Water is an essential element to life. In an adult body, 70% of skin is made up of water. 2/3 of that water is found deep in the dermis while 1/3 is in the epidermis. The skin plays a role of natural shield to fight external aggressions and regulate water loss. Hydration, is essential to maintain skin barrier health. To get healthy looking skin, you need to frequently supply the skin with water and protect the skin barrier.

However, skin aging and external aggressions are crucial factors that prevent the skin’s hydrolipidic film (protective film covering the skin’s surface) from playing its role of protective barrier and water loss regulator.

 The skin barrier’s disruption and its consequences 

It is quite simple: by losing hydration, the skin loses vitality, and becomes dehydrated.

If the skin lacks water its barrier function deteriorates faster. The skin barrier loses cohesion and the skin becomes dehydrated, loses elasticity and suppleness. Dry skin lines appear, and skin becomes rough and loses its radiance.

 How to better understand the difference between a well-hydrated skin and a dehydrated skin: 

  Hydrated skin  

• Properly hydrated skin

• Stratum Corneum
  
  (Natural barrier)

  Dehydrated skin  

• Flakes in the intercellular lipids (skin’s cement)
  
  Consequence: water runs out faster

• Skin suffering from dehydration

• Stratum Corneum
  
  (Natural barrier)

The consequence of this lack of water is skin dehydration. Dehydrated skin can cause a tightening sensation, a type of hypersensitivity that occurs when you use unsuitable products. Sometimes, to recreate the hydrolipidic film, dehydrated skin also produces sebum in excess: this is what is called the hyper-seborrheic reaction. The skin barrier lacks water and needs to be rehydrated.

However,  dehydrated skin  is a transient and reversible state. By using suitable skin barrier products developed especially to hydrate your skin, and by adopting a daily beauty and skin care routine along with a healthy lifestyle, your skin can recover all its suppleness and its natural bounce. Anyone can suffer from skin dehydration. It is important to listen to your skin’s needs in order to offer an adequate response. It is also important to understand properly the difference between a skin type and its state, which is temporary. You can indeed suffer from skin dehydration and have dry skin , dry skin being a permanent state which defines a specific skin type.