BY GRACE MIN

What you do to your skin now will affect your skin for the next decade. Yes, you can achieve a glow with your favorite makeup brands, but we’re here to guide you on how to get that glow with your real skin! It’s common for people to start skincare or treatments after they see signs of skin damage; this can include hyperpigmentation or premature aging. We’re learning it’s all about Prevention, Protection, and Strengthening your Skin Barrier & Microbiome. Here’s how - 

The Importance of Your Skin Barrier & Microbiome

What is it? Your Skin Barrier holds great responsibility for keeping your skin healthy and protecting it from harmful environmental factors & irritants. It is the outermost layer of your skin. A healthy barrier keeps the good stuff in and the bad stuff out.

Your skin’s Microbiome is a collection of microorganisms that play an important role for skin health as well; it is a major component of the skin barrier.  The skin’s barrier can be compromised by:

• UVA/UVB rays
• Not drinking enough water
• Drinking too much alcohol or caffeine
• Not moisturizing enough

It Starts From Within

Hydration is key. This includes drinking enough water to help from the inside out, in addition to using ingredients topically that help with hydration and protection. Hydrated skin means there’s enough water within your cells to make it plump and reflect light well - that natural, desired glow. When your skin is dehydrated, your skin will look lackluster and increases the appearance of dark circles and wrinkles. You should also expect redness, inflammation, congestion, flakiness, and itchiness - the perfect recipe to promote aging, acne, and dull complexion.

Hydrating Cosmetic Ingredients That Improve Skin Barrier

• Hyaluronic Acid - binds water up to 1,000 times its weight and helps keep moisture from escaping.
• Lactic Acid - humectant - pulls water in from surroundings and draws it to the skin’s surface.
• Niacinamide - boosts ceramide & collagen production, strengthening the skin barrier.
• Phyto-Retinol - helps diminish appearance of wrinkles and reduces the effects of sun damage & skin tone.
• Vitamin C (L-Ascorbic Acid) - anti-aging, preventative & reparative, brightening, and evens out skin tone.

Recommended Products That Protect Your Skin Barrier

• Prebiotic & Probiotic Skincare: Probiotic ingredients help to balance your skin’s microbiome, promoting its effectiveness to fight off microbes, dryness, inflammation, and aging. Prebiotics help probiotics to work even better.
• Burt’s Bees Intense Hydration Night Cream
• Dr. Jart's Cicapair Tiger Grass Cream
• Biossance Squalane + Probiotic Gel Moisturizer
• Gallinee Probiotic Youthful Serum

• Anti-pollution Skincare: The claim is, of course, that it protects your skin from environmental pollution. Anti-pollution ingredients do help, but one thing to keep in mind is that you may already have these ingredients in your products that don’t have the label of “anti-pollution”. Anti-pollution ingredients include: Algae, Niacinamide, Vitamin C & E, Ceramide 3, Prebiotics, and mineral barriers like Zinc Oxide.

• The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%
• SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic Serum
• Clinique Dramatically Different Hydrating Jelly
• Estee Lauder Nutritious Micro-Algae Pore Minimizing Shake Tonic

• Sunscreen: Known to combat the sun’s harmful UVA & UVB rays. Daily application of a broad spectrum sunscreen with SPF over 30, will protect you from photo-aging to skin cancer. Sunscreen is a MUST when it comes to your skin barrier and health.

• CeraVe Hydrating Sunscreen Face Lotion SPF 50
• EltaMD UV Clear Broad-Spectrum SPF 46
• La Roche-Posay Anthelios Clear Skin Dry Touch Sunscreen SPF 60
• Supergoop! Unseen Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 40

To achieve and maintain that glow, make sure to properly follow the minimal requirements of your skincare routine to get the most effective results out of your beauty products. 

• Cleanser 
• Toner 
• Serum
• Moisturizer

The damage you do to your skin in your 20's will show up in your 30's and so on. Start so you can avoid "fixing" your skin later by simply preventing damage now. Improving your natural glow is a game of patience and consistent discipline, but don’t forget to have fun with it!

We would love to hear where you’re at in your skincare journey and know that we’re rooting for you.

Everyone has their unique skin barrier and conditions. Always consult with your dermatologist & esthetician for what is right for you.