If one cuts their finger while preparing dinner, the body’s response to that newly compromised skin barrier begins before we even think about finding a bandage. Clotting starts, white blood cells arrive and new tissue begins to form.

A cut makes healing obvious, but most skin repair is much quieter.

Every day, our skin deals with sunlight, dry air, pollution, cleansing, shaving and everything else we put it through. In the middle of all that, it’s working to keep moisture in, maintain protective lipids and calm irritation. Basically, our skin is already working hard. The question is whether we are helping take some of that load off or adding unnecessary stress.

Healing requires raw materials, and the body gets many of the most important ones from food. Protein provides amino acids needed to rebuild tissue. Vitamin C, which our bodies cannot make on their own, is needed for collagen production. Linoleic acid, an essential omega-6 fatty acid, helps form the lipids that make up the skin barrier.

Food isn’t simply about making skin “glow”. It provides some of the building blocks our skin needs to function, repair and renew itself.

Skincare cannot heal for us, but it can make the skin’s job easier. Gentle cleansing, hydration, moisturization and UV protection can help support the barrier without continually adding more stress. That is also why barrier-focused skincare is more than a passing trend. It’s rooted in supporting the way healthy skin naturally functions.

Retinoids and chemical exfoliants can certainly improve the skin, but they can also challenge its protective barrier. Retinoids may cause dryness and irritation, while exfoliating acids work by removing part of the skin’s outermost layer.

This doesn’t mean stronger actives should be avoided. It means dose, frequency, timing and product pairing matter more than simply using more.

Tolerance is not a competition. If an active is giving you the result you want, more isn’t necessarily better. The goal is to create enough of a challenge to provide a benefit while still giving the skin the time and barrier support it needs to recover.

A cut makes healing easy to see, but our skin is repairing and renewing itself every day. Good skincare is about knowing when to challenge it, when to support it and when to simply let it recover.

Source: Deepa Bharat of Scrub a Lil Deepa. For more information, visit www.ScrubaLilDeepa.com.