How to restore the skin barrier?
We rarely realise it, but there is a very close relationship between the beauty of the skin and its functionality. The main function of the skin is to protect the body from the penetration of allergens, pathogenic bacteria, viruses or harmful chemicals. If the skin fulfils this function, it is beautiful and healthy. And it does it when there is a fine hydrolipidic protective film on its surface, which forms a natural barrier between the environment and the organism. If the skin barrier is damaged or completely destroyed, skin problems set in.
Skin barrier
To begin with, it's a good idea to understand what the skin barrier actually is. The surface of healthy skin is covered with a fine film that consists of moisture (sweat), lipids (sebum) and also dead skin cells. As repulsive as it may sound, this is the layer on which the health (and therefore beauty) of the skin stands and falls. Very often, the main cause of unhealthy skin is precisely its impaired barrier function. Without a protective film, the skin is literally stripped bare - it is hypersensitive, prone to infection, dryness, eczema and is susceptible to the development of various contact allergies. Many of us know this situation: we get to like a pleasant skin toner and use it daily. It refreshes and tightens our skin nicely, but over time our skin stops tolerating it and develops a hypersensitivity to it. It was most probably gradually and inadvertently destroying our skin barrier; the alcohol it contains was removing the beneficial mix of sebum and sweat from the skin. So, the skin was left unprotected and began to react to substances that might have otherwise done it no harm at all. In other words, the skin barrier is the alpha and omega of healthy skin.
What's harmful
The hydrolipidic film is very fragile. Now that we know what it's made of, we can quite easily identify what in our daily skincare routine destroys it: soap, micellar waters, alcohol in skincare products, hot water - anything that gets rid of the sebum and disrupts the skin's natural Ph. But also, regular and prolonged stay in air-conditioned or overheated rooms, chlorine in swimming pools, salt in the sea and frequent exfoliation.
What's beneficial
The good news is that the damaged skin barrier can be repaired. This will take time and thorough elimination of the above-mentioned destructive factors. It will also be necessary to limit skin cleansing. While thorough evening make-up removal is a must, morning cleansing needs to be reconsidered. What do we actually remove from the skin in the morning? Sebum, sweat, dead skin cells. But now we know that these must remain on the skin. Therefore, it will be enough to simply rinse your face in the morning to refresh it. In order to regenerate and strengthen the skin, you will also need suitable cosmetics.
Gentle non-irritating emollients
Appropriately chosen skincare cosmetics will speed up the renewal of the skin barrier. Natural oils rich in antioxidants are an ideal choice. They belong to the group of emollients, which means that they are moisturizing skincare products that naturally restore the skin barrier. Noili skincare oils contain a lot of phytonutrients, antioxidants and vitamins and they are composed of light cold-pressed plant oils, waxes and squalane. They replenish the skin’s missing lipids while slowing down (but not stopping) the evaporation of moisture from the skin. They thus restore the hydrolipid film and protect it from getting damaged. In addition, Noili skincare oils do not contain anything that irritates skin with impaired barrier function. They are free of irritants, perfumes, essential oils and allergens. Choose according to your skin type, then there is a guarantee that these oils will work exactly as they should.
