Healthy skin is thick, moist with an oil and water mixture, and maintains a balanced skin microbiome of beneficial bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Below is a list of a few skincare habits and products that can thin or dry the skin or disrupt skin flora. The results can be irritation, sensitivity to the sun, or a variety of unpleasant skin conditions like acne, eczema, Malassezia Folliculitis (“fungal acne”), rashes, rosacea, and more.
If your skin barrier is damaged, consider which products and habits listed below you should drop from your skincare routine. Toward the bottom of this post, I’ll offer an alternative approach to achieving the results we all want.
Salicylic Acid (SA) is an Aromatic Hydroxy Acid (AMA) derived from willow tree bark. It is a hydroxy acid but differs from AHAs, BHAs, and PHAs (see below), though it is often referred to as a BHA.
Used in concentrations under 2%, it can help to unclog pores and improve skin texture, which is why it is often used by those with oily or acne-prone skin. Salicylic acid can also fight acne-causing bacteria but does not contain antioxidants.
The downside of using Salicylic Acid is that it can make the skin more sensitive to the sun, so regular use of sunscreen is important. It can also make the skin red, dry, or flaky. Salicylic Acid reduces the thickness of the dermis, so continual use may result in skin barrier damage.
If your skin is irritated or inflamed, limit or eliminate the use of Salicylic Acid.
Keep in mind that salicylic acid should not be used during pregnancy.
Unless a dermatologist instructions you otherwise, avoid combining products that can irritate the skin. If you plan to use these products, don’t use them on the same day.
At very low concentrations (2% or lower) AHAs can benefit normal human skin by stimulating cell renewal, thickening the skin, improving firmness and elasticity, and reducing hyperpigmentation, inflammation and fine lines and wrinkles. However, even at lower concentrations they can increase the skin’s sensitivity to sunlight. It’s important to always use sunscreen when using AHAs in your skincare routine.
Higher concentrations that promote peeling can lead to inflammation, hyperpigmentation, infections, scarring, allergic reactions, milia, changes in texture, redness, burning, and itching.
AHAs reduce the pH of the skin. Even at low concentrations, consistent use of products that reduce the skin’s natural pH level can disrupt the skin’s moisture barrier leading to redness, dryness, and irritation or sensitivity.
Citric acid is often used in products to adjust the pH of the final formula to be appropriate for use on the skin. If this ingredient is listed toward the bottom of the ingredient list, then the concentration in the formula is likely very low and should not cause irritation.
If your skin is irritated or inflamed, limit the use of AHAs like the following.
BHAs can penetrate deep to unclog pores and improve skin texture, which is why they are often used by those with oily or acne-prone skin. Because they are oil-soluble, BHAs can help reduce excess sebum.
Like AHAs, BHAs can make the skin more sensitive to the sun, so regular use of sunscreen is important. They can also make the skin red, dry, or flaky.
If your skin is irritated or inflamed, limit the use of BHAs like the following.
Unless a dermatologist instructs otherwise, skip physical exfoliants that can irritate and thin the skin. It’s important not to scrub delicate facial skin.
Over-exfoliating can harm the skin. The corneocyte cells in the outer layer of the skin, the stratum corneum, are often considered “dead” because they lack a nucleus. However, this does not mean that they are not necessary!
If the skin is damaged or sensitive, over-exfoliation may worsen the situation by removing important protective layers. This can lead to a cycle of thin and problematic skin as the temptation to exfoliate more increases. The skin naturally exfoliates itself every 2-5 weeks, so it’s important to allow the stratum corneum layer to thicken.
If you really want to use an acid on your skin, consider using a PHA or Aldobionic Acid. These acids not only exfoliate, but they also help bind water to the skin, thicken the skin barrier, and provide antioxidant protection against free radical damage. They are less likely to cause sun sensitivity and are gentler on the skin than AHAs, BHAs or SA.
Corum Barrier Repair Oil Cleanser dissolves makeup, sebum, and sunscreen, so it can easily be wiped away with a soft, wet cloth without disturbing the skin’s pH. This step helps to open and unclog pores and fight free radicals and breakouts with New Zealand Totarol.
Corum Superfruit Hydrating Cleanser includes just the right amount of plant extracts containing natural Alpha Hydroxy Acids to allow for gentle daily removal of the top layer of dead skin cells. This no-rinse cleanser removes invisible pollutants and other debris that can disturb the skin’s microbiome and helps to fight free-radical damage that contributes to skin aging. Hyaluronic acid, Manuka honey, and corn-derived propanediol help keep water in the skin. Aspen bark extract helps fight breakouts.
Over time this gentle daily exfoliation helps to rejuvenate, improve firmness and elasticity, and reduce hyperpigmentation, inflammation, fine lines, and wrinkles.
For a gentle and effective skin treatment, apply Corum Barrier Repair Manuka Mud once or twice a week. This mask contains clay and xylitol, as well as Manuka honey, Dead Sea Salt, prebiotics, and plant enzymes. It smooths, purifies, detoxifies, and balances the skin, while removing dirt and oil without drying. Your skin will feel clean, refreshed, and rejuvenated. Use it after cleansing your face with Corum Oil Cleanser.
Just like whole foods are better for the body than isolated parts of foods consumed as supplements, certain plant oils can help to accomplish the goal of using acids without the negative side effects of acids.
Plant oils contain skin building blocks including ceramides, cholesterol, triglycerides (fatty acids attached to glycerol), tocopherols, phytosterols, stanols, phospholipids, waxes, squalene, and polyphenolic compounds. When topically applied they nourish the skin and act as a protective barrier that decreases trans-epidermal water loss.
Certain non-comedogenic plant oils also have the ability to repair the skin barrier by:
This is why you’ll find skin barrier repair oils in so many Corum Products.
