Good morning Twitter.

A reminder from Your Skincare Fav to protect your moisture barrier this morning. Your damaged barrier is likely the source of...all your skin concerns.

Yes, I know. Hormones play a huge role too. Before someone is in my mentions saying that lol.

Well, here’s a highly requested thread from #YourSkincareFav on everything about your skin’s moisture barrier.

I’ll cover how to repair it, how to know if it’s damaged, and specific ingredients to use/avoid when it’s damaged. And we might do specific products too.

Maybe even a barrier repair giveaway?

So first, what is a moisture barrier?

It’s the outermost layer of your epidermis. It protects your skin from environmental factors, prevents bad bacteria from entering, and keeps your skin soft and moisturized.

Other names for it:

- Acid mantle
- Hydro-lipid film

Let’s continue with this thread!

Your moisture barrier isn’t necessarily something you can see, but you can absolutely feel when it’s damaged. What’s important is being able to recognize the signs of a damaged barrier, so you can start treating it immediately.

A damaged moisture barrier worsens literally ALL of your concerns. Your hyperpigmentation becomes darker, acne is more inflamed and occurs more frequently, texture is more prominent, dark circles...EVERYTHING is worse with a damaged moisture barrier.

So how do you know if it’s damaged? Here are some signs:

- Tightness, feels like your skin is constantly being tugged or held taut (most common)
- Redness
- Little fine lines
- Products burn/sting upon application
- Shiny but no visible oil
- Or excessively producing oil

Here’s a visual with my client. She had little fine lines from a damaged barrier. https://twitter.com/caveofbeauty/status/1151196454318419968?s=21

What are some things that damage your barrier:

- Harsh scrubs (like St. Ives)
- Harsh cleansers that make your skin feel squeaky clean
- Overusing AHAs/BHAs/retinoids/vitamin C’s
- Not wearing SPF, especially while regularly exfoliating
- Hard Water
- Extreme dry heat/cold

What should you immediately stop doing when you realize your barrier is damaged?

- Stop ALL forms of exfoliation, vitamin C, & retinoids
- Wear SPF & reapply religiously, even when indoors
- Layer hydrating serums
- Apply a heavy occlusive nightly to protect/repair the skin

When should you start exfoliation again?

I recommend waiting at *MINIMUM* of 3 weeks after damaging your barrier to start exfoliating very gently again after you’ve focused *solely* on repair.

But this also depends on how bad the damage is. Some people have to wait 6+ weeks.

And when you start exfoliating again, you have to start very slow and low. You can’t hop right back into doing high percentage AHAs/BHAs or retinoids 4x/week.

You should start with a *super* gentle AHA, such as mandelic acid, 1-2x/week MAX and see how your skin responds.

What should a moisture barrier repair routine look like?

- Gentle, cream cleanser
- Hydrating toner
- Hydrating Serum(s)
- Cream Moisturizer
- Oil or heavy occlusive like Vaseline at night (or the Cerave healing ointment, my fav for rapid barrier repair)
- SPF during the day

Specific ingredients to use when your barrier is damaged:

- Hyaluronic acid
- Ceramides
- Cholesterol
- Beta Glucan
- Snail mucin
- Niacinamide
- Allantoin
- Arnica
- Evening primrose, borage, & hemp oils
- Glycerin
- Honey/propolis/royal jelly
- Centella extract
- Oat extract

All of these are best applied TOPICALLY, not consumed. This is because whenever you consume anything, it has to pass through multiple organs as well as go through digestive enzymes, and such a minimal amount finally reaches your skin that it does essentially...nothing.

This is sorta unrelated but that’s why taking things like collagen supplements won’t do anything for your skin. Or any of those other skin vitamins. They do nothing for your skin because they don’t even reach your skin, even with it being the largest organ you have.

Another addition to this thread!

Here’s a visual of how repairing a damaged moisture barrier (in this case via a facial) noticeably improves your hyperpigmentation. https://twitter.com/caveofbeauty/status/1151222259937243136?s=21