How to Repair a Damaged Skin Barrier (and Care for Skin After a Peel)
If your skin suddenly stings when you apply products, feels tight after washing, or looks red and flaky, your skin barrier is probably damaged. It's one of the most common problems I see, and dry desert air makes it worse.
What your skin barrier does
Your skin barrier is the outermost layer of skin. It keeps moisture in and irritants out. When it's damaged, water escapes, and products that never bothered you before start to burn.
Common causes:
Over-exfoliating, or using too many strong acids and retinoids at once
Harsh cleansers that leave skin feeling squeaky
Low humidity and heat, like a Las Vegas summer
The healing phase after a peel, microneedling or plasma treatment
My barrier repair routine
When a client's barrier is compromised, I strip their routine back to gentle basics for two to four weeks.
Cleanse gently. EltaMD Skin Recovery Amino Acid Foaming Cleanser cleans without stripping. It's made for sensitive and post-procedure skin.
Calm and hydrate. EltaMD Skin Recovery Essence Toner soothes and restores moisture right after cleansing.
Repair. EltaMD Skin Recovery Serum uses amino acids, centella and hyaluronic acid to calm redness and support repair.
Add deep hydration. Hydrinity Restorative HA Serum is my go-to after microneedling for intense moisture.
Lock it in overnight. EltaMD Skin Recovery Night Mask seals in moisture while you sleep.
Protect with a mineral sunscreen every morning. See my sunscreen guide for picks.
For skin that stays reactive, BioJuve Biome Support Complex supports the healthy bacteria that live on your skin, which play a big part in how calm and resilient it is.
What to pause while you heal
Stop retinoids, exfoliating acids, scrubs and peel pads until your skin feels comfortable again. Then add them back one at a time, a few nights a week.
When to see a professional
If your skin hasn't improved after a few weeks, or you're breaking out, it's time to get it looked at. Book a consultation at my Henderson studio and we'll figure out what's going on and build a routine your skin can handle.
