Winter Skin: Looking After a Sensitive Barrier

The instinct when skin turns tight and flaky in winter is to add products. It is usually the wrong instinct. A compromised barrier needs fewer actives and more support while it rebuilds.

What the barrier is

The outermost layer of skin holds water in and irritants out, using a mix of ceramides, cholesterol and fatty acids. Cold air, dry indoor heating, hot water and over-exfoliation all deplete that mix. The result is tightness, stinging from products that never used to sting, and flaking.

Pause the actives

Retinoids, exfoliating acids and vitamin C all ask something of the skin. When the barrier is impaired, stop them for a week or two. Reintroduce one at a time, at a lower frequency than before.

Look for the repair ingredients

Ceramides, cholesterol, fatty acids, niacinamide, panthenol, squalane and glycerin all support barrier recovery. A plain, well-formulated moisturiser with several of these does more than an expensive serum.

Change the environment too

Turn the shower temperature down and keep it short. Apply moisturiser within a minute of towelling off, while skin is still damp. A humidifier in the bedroom addresses the cause rather than the symptom, particularly with forced-air heating.

Most barriers recover within two to four weeks of gentler treatment. If skin is cracked, weeping or persistently inflamed, that is a dermatologist’s job rather than a skincare one.