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How to repair a damaged skin barrier

Is your skin dry, tight, and irritated? Let’s talk about how to repair a damaged skin barrier.

What exactly is the skin barrier (and how does it work)?

In simplest terms, the skin barrier is responsible for how your skin looks and feels and it has two main roles; to keep the good things in, and the bad things out.

It’s a protective shield on the outermost layers of your skin, made from cells and lipids, that works really hard every day to protect your skin. It regulates water levels, keeps essential moisture in, and protects the skin from environmental aggressors, inflammation, irritation, etc. Basically, it’s super important 🙂

What does it feel like when your skin barrier is damaged?

When your skin barrier is damaged, it can feel irritated and dehydrated, red and hot, or generally inflamed. It might feel sore and tight, or dry and sensitive to the touch – or it could be a combination of these things.

A damaged skin barrier can happen for many reasons, but the most common causes are over-exfoliation of the skin (it happens to the best of us!), stress, hormonal fluctuations, lack of sleep, a reaction to a new product or a combination of products, wearing a mask all day, or using a cleanser that’s too stripping or drying.

 

How To Repair A Damaged Skin Barrier | Simone Scribes

How can you repair your damaged skin barrier?

Completely pair back your routine. And when I say pair back, we’re talking two to three products maximum. A very gentle cleanser, a repairing/hydrating serum, and a barrier-repairing moisturiser – morning and night.

Remove Vitamin C from your routine, any exfoliating acids and retinol (along with any product(s) that may have caused the damage or irritation) and focus on using products that repair, nourish, soothe and deeply hydrate the skin. Look for products that include ingredients like Ceramides, Squalane, Niacinamide, Glycerin and Hyaluronic Acid – our skin can never get enough of these and they will work to quickly (and gently) repair, hydrate, and moisturise your skin.

Here are some of my favourite, non-stripping, non-drying, gentle cleansers

 

 

Gentle, repairing, hydrating serums

 

 

Barrier-repairing moisturisers and creams

 

 

Soothing recovery masks

These are particularity great when you need instant relief as they work to immediately soothe and calm the skin.

 

How long does it take to repair a damaged skin barrier?

Depending on your individual skin type and how long your skin barrier has been damaged, it can take anywhere from two to three weeks to three months. If the irritation you’re experiencing is down to a new product, over-exfoliation or wearing a mask, etc. your skin barrier should be shiny and new within two to three weeks.

If the damage is a few months in the works it might take a little longer.

For more deep-dives into skin issues and ingredients, take a look at the Skincare Guides section of my website or follow me on Instagram or Tiktok.

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Charlotte Tilbury’s Beautiful Skin Foundation

Let’s talk about SPF 🧴 SPF stands for Sun P Let’s talk about SPF 🧴 

SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor, and is a measure of protection from UV rays. 

The sun emits two types of ultraviolet rays; UVA and UVB. When we think about SPF a lot of the time, we think about sunburn on the surface of our skin. This is caused by UVB rays. UVA rays on the other hand, penetrate the skin deeper, and can cause damage on a deeper level; think uneven skin tone, hyper-pigmentation, and sagging skin. UVA rays can also lead to skin cancer. 

We’re all familiar with the different levels of SPF available in products in the market; SPF15, 20, 30, and so on. But what do those numbers mean and how much protection do they actually give you?

The number on the tube tells you how long you can stay in the sun while wearing that sunscreen without burning, compared to staying the same amount of time in the sun and not wearing that sunscreen. So, for example, if you apply SPF30, it would take you 30 times longer to burn than if you used no sunscreen.

In terms of blocking the suns rays, an SPF of 15 blocks 93% of UV rays. An SPF of 30 blocks 97%, and an SPF of 50 blocks 98%.

It’s important to remember, however, that no sunscreen can ever block sunburn and associated skin damage completely. Wearing sunscreen is only one part of effective sun protection; stay in the shade, wear a hat, apply sunscreen 😇 

#wearsunscreen #protectyourskin #sunscreeneveryday #evenindoors #fortheloveofgod #thankyou #loveyou
Shorter, brighter, summer nails 😍 Shorter, brighter, summer nails 😍
A stunningly beautiful day ☀️ #goodmorning # A stunningly beautiful day ☀️ 

#goodmorning #sunnydays #dublin
CLOSED ✨ Win a €300 voucher for @millies.ie ✨ 

As it’s Skin Cancer Awareness Month, I’m talking all things SPF on my Stories today, in partnership with Millie’s; why it’s important to wear SPF every day, how much to apply, reapplication, and some of my top SPF picks. 

Millie’s have given me a 20% discount code ‘Simone20’ so you to treat yourself to some gorgeous new products (the code has a few exclusions and is subject to t&cs). 

I also have an amazing giveaway - one lucky person will win a €300 voucher for Millie’s! 

All you have to do to enter is:
✨ LIKE this post 
✨ TAG your best friend below 
✨ Make sure you FOLLOW myself and @Millies.ie on Instagram

The winner will be contacted by my page only, I will not ask for details from anyone on another page. The winner will be picked one week from now. Good luck! 

AD #skincancerawarenessmonth #spf #sunscreen #skincareroutine #dublin
I’ve worn this trench coat pretty every day sinc I’ve worn this trench coat pretty every day since I bought it. Best purchase ever 👌🏼

#simplestyle #casualstyle #london
Rosè season ✨ If you’re on the hunt for som Rosè season ✨ 

If you’re on the hunt for some delicious rosé this summer, here are some of my favourite rosé producers:

@maisonmirabeau 
@leoube 
@chateaudesclans (@thewhisperingangel) 
@gerardbertrandofficial (Hampton Water etc.)
@invivowines (Graham Norton, SJP)
@miraval 
@chateauminuty 
@aixrose.official 
@domainedesjeanne 

#myfavouritetimeofyear #savewaterdrinkrosé #winelover
One of my favorite cleansers to use before applyin One of my favorite cleansers to use before applying a full face of makeup ❤️ 

@ellaandjocosmetics Brighten and Glow Hydrating Exfoliating Cleanser is the stuff that smooth skin dreams are made of. 
It very gently exfoliates the skin, leaving you with a perfectly smooth, hydrated (and most importantly, non-irritated) canvas for makeup 👌🏼

If you’d like to try it, use code SIMONE20 on Ella & Jo’s website to get 20% off. 

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I’ve been having a hard time with neck and muscl I’ve been having a hard time with neck and muscle pain the last couple of days. This is something I experience pretty regularly because of chronic anxiety. 
My anxiety is mostly physical, and so a ‘flare up’ (as I like to call it) usually looks like one or a mixture of these things: 
Neck pain, muscle tension, muscle weakness, headaches, dizziness, brain fog, night terrors, and poor sleep in general. 
In the past, it has also showed up as breathlessness, slurred speech, extreme dizziness, tingling in my hands and feet, muscle spasms and heart palpitations. 
I have spoken about, and written about, my experience with anxiety many times, and I think it’s important to keep talking about it because so many of us are struggling. 
I started taking anxiety medication last year, under guidance from my brilliant GP. It was one of the best decisions I made. 
It turned my life around, and helped me - in the words of my GP; ‘start living again.’
This decision was stigmatized by some, which I found interesting. As it had absolutely nothing to do with them. 
Of course, medication is not for everyone, and it’s not forever - but it does changes lives. It saves lives. 
People who continue to stigmatize medication and mental illness in general, are the problem. Not you. 
If you have anxiety or depression, it’s important that you know there is nothing ‘wrong with you’. You are not a lesser person because of it. 
You are a person. And you are not alone. 
So let’s keep talking about it ❤️
A sunny afternoon in Ranelagh ☀️ (Living in t A sunny afternoon in Ranelagh ☀️ 
(Living in this trench until I figure out what’s going on with the weather).

#sunnysnapshot #trenchcoatmafia #dublin
I don’t know if I’m more excited about the pro I don’t know if I’m more excited about the products or the makeup bag they came in 😂 

#chanelbeauty #chanelmakeup #london
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