Understand my skin

Dermatological advices to take care of your skin barrier after lockdown

Your skin is about to rediscover the outside world.
It is important to help your skin re-adapt to it. Sun, pollution, stress, all these daily factors can greatly sensitize your skin. Barrier gestures - frequent hand washing and wearing a mask – can also alter your skin if not combined with adapted skincare routine. Below are some advice to help your skin barrier remain the better protection against external aggressions.

1. Understanding risk factors for the skin and taking care of the skin barrier

Which external factors can impact my skin

Hand washing is the first recommended barrier gesture. However, the skin can lose over time its natural defence faculties, because washing your hands many times a day may remove lipids which naturally preserve and protect it. The alteration of the skin barrier can generate intense dryness and can go as far as cracks. This is even more the case when using hand sanitizer many times a day, especially due to their high content in alcohol which can remove the hydrolipidic film and therefore dehydrates the skin.

Wearing a mask daily is vital. However it can create an unusual reaction, or exacerbate dermatological symptoms on your face and behind the ears

Benefit from the sun carefully. The sun is necessary for our body and health as it will bring vitamin D, essential for our well-being and bones. However, to enjoy its benefits safely after weeks with limited sun exposure, you need to help your skin adapt to sunlight step by step and avoid harmful effects of UV rays (risk of burns, sunburn, skin’s premature aging and in the long-term, potential melanomas). As an example, the UVA rays of the sun will lead to the appearance of free radicals responsible of the aging of your skin.

Prevent your skin from pollution. The polluted air contains many microparticles which may reduce and alter cell renewal leading to premature aging of the skin. Also, a high concentration of ozone in the air induces a depletion of vitamin C and E naturally present in your skin. As a result, it weakens our skin barrier which loses its ability to effectively protect your skin. A deep and soft cleansing everyday will help you protect yourself.

Use make-up sparingly. The use of cosmetics may clog the pores of your skin and make it suffocate. A deep and soft cleansing of your skin is necessary to limit the appearance of blemishes or irritations.

Limit stress as much as possible. Returning to work, taking public transport or facing traffic jams, all these situations can again generate a huge daily stress which will have many consequences on the health of your skin: dull complexion, redness, itching and imperfections.

Dr Michèle Sayag, Allergist- France - Bioderma.

Skin is an intelligent living system. Understanding its natural function is the best way to help it to adapt to the environment. The most important is to reinforce its barrier so it can properly play its protective function.

Dr Michèle Sayag, Allergist- France - Bioderma.

Wash or sanitize your hands This step is important not to contaminate the mask before use.

Check if the mask is clean and not damaged so that it can be used.

Place the blue side out if you are using a medical mask. For the mask to play its protective function, the coloured part must always be positioned outwards.

Adjust the mask to cover nose and chin. Do not forget to pinch the bar of the nose to better maintain the mask.

Remove the mask by the elastic bands without touching the front. Indeed, the front of the mask can contain harmful particles and could expose you to contamination.

After 4 hours of use, drop it safely using a closed bag to limit the risk of spread.

If you are wearing a mask in cotton, wash it at 60° for 30 minutes at least.

Wash your hands to avoid contamination

Moisturize your hands to protect your skin barrier

Wearing a mask during the day induces many frictions on your skin. As soon as you cough, speak or simply reposition your mask you create many frictions. Depending on your skin sensitivity, repeated frictions can lead to the appearance of irritations. These irritations can appear especially on the nose, chin and cheeks.

Wearing a mask also promotes perspiration, which can lead to the appearance of dermatitis, redness or rashes. You might feel the urge to scratch.
Wearing a mask over a long period can also affect preexisting acne. Indeed, friction and perspiration can clog the pores of the skin, promoting blackheads and thus acne.

Each skin is unique and react its own way. That’s why we recommend to adapt your skincare routine accordingly to your skin sensitivity.

1. Cleansing is the first act of skincare

As hands are particularly solicited by cleansing, prefer warm water and a nourishing oily texture product which will restore skin’s lipids and allow the skin barrier to better function.

2. Moisturize generously dry skin

After cleansing, the hydrolipidic film can be altered and your hands may become dry. Using a hand moisturizing cream right after cleansing can help prevent dryness and hydrate your skin up to 24h.

3. Nourish intensely dried out skin

According to the sensitivity of the skin and the frequency of cleansing, the lipidic layer can be altered, phenomenon that will lead to the dysfunction of the skin barrier. If you feel severe dryness, you need to use an ultra-nourishing balm to help rebuilding your skin barrier.

4. Repair damaged skin

Frequent hand washing can sometimes disrupt the lipidic composition of the skin barrier thus weakening the skin's resistance and its capacity to form a proper protection. The skin may be damaged which may lead to the appearance of cracks. In that case, it is highly recommended to use a repairing and soothing cream.

2. Our advices

Dermatological advices to help my skin to adapt to external factors

Every morning, cleanse your face with a micellar water or a foaming gel; then use your usual moisturizing cream, adapted to your skin type.

In the evening, cleanse deeply your face and apply your face cream.

Tip: Sensibio H2O micellar water removes more than 98% of make up, pollutant particles and pollen.

Just like your face, your body needs to be pampered and protected. Remember to cleanse, moisturize and nourish your skin to preserve and strengthen your skin barrier.

Tip: prefer a dermatological syndet or a cleansing gel to respect your skin barrier.

Pollution attacks your skin but also your hair and scalp. To guarantee the quality of your scalp, you need to frequently wash your hair.

Tip: use a non-detergent shampoo to respect the natural hydrolipidic film of your hair, which naturally protects it.

When you go outside, you need to protect your skin barrier with an adapted photoprotection, and follow these preventive advices

Avoid sun exposure between 12pm and 4pm
Adapt gradually the time you expose yourself to the sun
Apply a high sun protection regardless of skin type, 15 minutes before your first exposure and reapply every 2 hours

Tip : 15 minutes of sunshine exposure per day helps to synthetize the necessary Vitamin D and boost your immune system.

Wearing a mask daily, being exposed to the sun, as well as pollution and external stress can weaken your skin, trigger localized redness and increase rosacea.

We recommend a 3-step routine to help prevent your skin from reaction:

Gently cleanse with Sensibio H20
Soothe and moisturize your skin with Sensibio AR
Protect your skin with Photoderm Aquafluide SPF50+

Help your skin to adapt to external factors : sun, makeup, stress, pollution, mask. All these factors can prevent your skin from breathing naturally and may increase inflammation, promoting the appearance of imperfections while drying out the skin.

Help your skin to regain its balance and rebuild your skin barrier thanks to this 3-step routine:

Cleans without drying out with Sébium Foaming Gel
Soothe and hydrate with Sébium Sensitive
Protect your skin and even your complexion with Photoderm Nude Touch

To fully benefit outside life, you need to follow a specific skincare routine adapted to dry to irritated skin. Specifically formulated to prevent skin from drying out, Atoderm products can be used daily and safely, while being practical and easy to use for all the family