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Having sensitive skin makes it difficult to find good skin care products. Sometimes, it might not seem worth it to try something new when the last product made your whole face red. But, sensitive skin does need healing and protection—leaving it alone only exposes it to environmental aggressors, which is especially true for those with dry, sensitive skin. Read on to learn more about how to properly care for your dry and sensitive skin, including:
Compared with a normal complexion, dry skin provides less protection against potential irritants. That’s because dryness damages the skin’s protective barrier, leaving it exposed to UV light, pollution and any other aggressor.
Typically, most people’s first instinct when trying to solve their dry skin issues is to grab a moisturizer. That’s because dry skin is often associated with moisture loss. However, moisture loss is only half the story. In fact, it’s actually the skin’s natural moisture barrier that prevents moisture loss in the first place. When skin is dry or cracked, it’s a sign that your natural moisture barrier has been compromised.
Most moisturizers only address surface-level dryness. They may provide some hydration, but they aren’t designed necessarily to repair skin’s natural moisture barrier itself. Instead, they often use an inactive ingredient like petroleum to act as a physical barrier and keep water from being stolen by the air. Or, they use an ingredient like hyaluronic acid to attract and bind moisture. This does a great job of hydrating the skin’s surface, but it doesn’t solve the deeper problem of a compromised skin barrier.
This isn’t to say that moisturizers don’t have a valuable place in skin care. Many people can use them to great effect. But while moisturizers deserve a place in most regimens, those who struggle with frequent or severe dryness need something more: they need a barrier repair cream.
Barrier repair creams are like moisturizers in that they lock in moisture. But they go a step further by repairing the skin’s natural moisture barrier, which facilitates true healing and hydration.
“The fundamental difference between moisturizers and barrier repair creams is the intent,” says board-certified dermatologist and LovelySkin CEO Dr. Joel Schlessinger. “Generally, barrier creams are much thicker and are meant to repair skin that is damaged while moisturizers are aimed at preventing damage. Both have their place, but if your skin is on the verge of problems or in trouble already, it is probably best to go with a barrier repair cream. Otherwise, moisturizers are likely fine.”
Step 1: To maximize the results of your barrier cream, start by applying the FixMySkin 1% Hydrocortisone Healing Body Balm. Invented and formulated by double board-certified dermatologist Dr. Joel Schlessinger and his son, Dr. Daniel Schlessinger, this healing balm not only soothes and moisturizes irritated skin with shea and cocoa butter, but it also heals irritation with 1% hydrocortisone. The balm is conveniently sized and features a glue-stick-style applicator, enabling easy application to any affected area.
Step 2: Apply a barrier repair cream to lock in moisture and support further skin nourishment. If you’re dealing with intense dryness, flakiness or a condition like eczema, this combination is a powerful way to calm and heal skin.
With so many options to choose from, it can be daunting trying to find the right medical barrier cream for your skin. To help your search, we’ve pulled together some of the best moisturizers for a damaged skin barrier. Here are seven dermatologist-approved skin barrier creams to consider.
In addition to hydrating botanical ingredients, this Epionce cream for dry skin uses fatty acids from safflower seed oil to help rebuild a damaged moisture barrier. Featuring a soothing blend of avocado and rosehip extracts, it helps skin recover from in-office procedures such as laser treatments. It can also be great to keep on hand in case you end up having an unexpected reaction to a new makeup or skin care product and need a soothing medical barrier cream to help ease the irritation.
This skin barrier cream is part of Colorescience’s new BarrierPro collection, created to help your skin recover from reactivity and irritation. The formula contains a finely tuned list of ingredients that help replenish, rebalance and renew your skin. First up, tri-molecular hyaluronic acid, snow mushroom extract, squalane and prickly pear cactus extract work together to replenish your skin’s lost hydration. Next, goji berry extract and lactobacillus ferment help rebalance your skin’s microbiome by supporting good bacteria. Last but not least, antioxidants and calming botanicals help renew your skin by neutralizing free radical damage.
Lipids form your skin’s protective barrier, and they come in three main forms: ceramides, cholesterol and fatty acids. Skin needs a balance of all three for true healing, which is the foundation this formula is built on. Featuring 2% ceramides, 4% cholesterol and 2% fatty acids, SkinCeuticals delivers the ideal ratio for the natural repair process, making this lipid barrier cream highly effective in restoring skin’s natural moisture barrier. Over time, this face cream not only repairs the moisture barrier but also helps smooth uneven skin texture and firm lax skin. That makes it one of the best barrier creams and an excellent addition to your anti-aging skin care regimen.
Using lipids in the form of ceramides and cholesterol, this lipid barrier cream helps repair your natural moisture barrier. Hyaluronic acid binds moisture to the top layer of skin to prevent it from drying out while vitamin E provides additional hydration and free radical protection. This EltaMD formula also uses enzymes from kiwi, pineapple and fig to gently exfoliate and increase cell turnover. This kind of exfoliation also helps soften dry skin without causing damage. If that sounds like it would fit you,
Thanks to its gentle formula, this is one of the best moisturizers for damaged skin. It has a rich texture to help restore a damaged skin barrier while protecting skin, so it can properly recover. The soothing minerals of Avene Thermal Spring Water combine with copper, zinc sulfates and Avene’s patented ingredient, C+Restore, to soothe, soften and calm irritated skin. This medical barrier cream is also safe to use on diaper rash as well as cuts, burns and scrapes.
Chilly weather and all the hand washing cold and flu season requires can leave you with dry, damaged skin on your hands. This skin barrier cream for hands helps replenish lost moisture with sustainably sourced shea butter, glycerin and niacinamide. The soothing La Roche-Posay formula soaks in quickly without leaving a greasy residue behind. It’s also fragrance-free, making it just the right choice for those who prefer an unscented hand cream.
Another excellent choice when it comes to moisturizers for your damaged skin barrier, this rich face cream from Dermalogica relies on silicones and evening primrose to help strengthen the lipid barrier in your skin. It also contains oat kernel oil and ginger root extract to help calm irritated skin. When used regularly, this formula helps strengthen sensitive skin by restoring your damaged skin barrier as well as protect against environmental stressors.
Are you looking for a nourishing way to cleanse your face and body? You can check out the best oil cleansers for your skin on the LovelySkin Blog.
Evan is a content writer at LovelySkin who enjoys providing information to help people feel more confident about their skin care. In his spare time, he likes to read, write creatively and wander through used bookstores.
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