The Skin Barrier: Understanding and Protecting Your Skin’s Natural Armor

The skin’s barrier is the resilient layer that separates your skin from the world around you. You can think of it as a coat of armor, or as the gateway to the rest of the layers of skin. As the gateway, your skin’s barrier is wholly responsible for keeping the good stuff in and the bad stuff out!

This means that the overwhelming amount of toxins, pollutants, infections, pathogens- everything you don’t want getting into your skin- is being held at bay by a (hopefully) strong barrier. And while it’s keeping out all the potentially harmful irritants, it is also holding in all the hydration that your cells need to function properly.

Your skin is an organ made up of three layers- and several sublayers- all serving very different functions. At the outermost layer is the stratum corneum: essentially a wall made of skin cells, held together by lipids (fats). Without these lipids, these outer cells will start to flake away and will cease to effectively protect the layers beneath.

Signs your skin’s barrier might be compromised include dryness, itchiness, flaky patches, red and inflamed areas… a compromised barrier can even lead to acne breakouts, as the skin is less capable of fending off acne bacteria.

Once you can recognize the signs of a compromised barrier, you can quickly take action to heal your skin. Healing an unhealthy skin barrier not only requires topical treatment, but healing from within as well!

The lipids in your barrier layer are composed of ceramides, fatty acids, and cholesterol. Adding this type of lipophilic ingredient into your skincare routine will help to reseal the damaged barrier. You can try adding skin-friendly oils as well.

Oftentimes, even a great skincare regimen can be irritating and unhealthy for your skin if your barrier is not intact. Stronger products and treatments, such as retinol, acids, or chemical peels - while may create improvement in your skin - can be detrimental if your barrier is compromised. Then these products only further irritate the skin. First make sure your skin is healthy before exacerbating any irritation with harsh products.

No barrier fortifying regimen is complete without dietary assistance. Drinking extra water can be helpful for your body’s overall function, but if your skin’s barrier is already weakened, so much of that hydration just evaporates through those cells. The essential fatty acids that your skin barrier needs can easily be consumed and will actually improve your cells’ health.

Omega 7 is one of the best ways to address your skin from the inside-out! Omega 7 helps strengthen the cell wall to help keep in more good moisture and keep out skin damaging toxins.

This essential fatty acid helps boosts collagen production and inhibits skin inflammation- one of the main issues that arise from a compromised barrier. It provides potent antioxidants and nourishes from within, promoting healthy, moisturized skin cells.

Sea buckthorn not only provides Omega 7, but also carries with it Omegas 3 and 9 and helps with energy, joints, and immune and heart health. Omega 7 is the rare omega 7 that makes sea buckthorn so unique and so effective when it comes to skin support, from the inside-out.

For all the sea buckthorn and Omega 7 benefits, try Omega 7 Pure. Organic, highest quality, and sustainably sourced, this sea buckthorn juice is pure with no preservatives, not even added water. One serving contains 721mg of Omega 7, antioxidants, bioflavonoids, and carotenoids. Omega 7 Pure is healthy, radiant skin in a bottle from the inside-out. Try it first-hand today!