This is my explanation from a few years back, quoting Dr. Leslie Baumann, for an impaired skin barrier. I find I cannot explain it well sometimes, so here it is!
"I just read "The Skin Type Solution" by Leslie Baumann, M.D. and she said (chapter 15) that the key to managing what sounds like my skin type is understanding the skin barrier (which is the skins natural barrier, composed of cells, like bricks, if you will, that are surrounded by fat or lipids, which act as mortar). "With a weak skin barrier, substances pass through the barrier too readily, producing allergic or inflammatory reactions as the immune system recognizes something foreign to the body and overreacts. Once the skin barrier is damaged, a cycle begins. Lack of protection leads to invasion of substances that cause inflammation; inflammation leads to itching and further breakdown of the barrier. As a result, the skin cannot hold on to water, and dehydration results. Dehydration...
[ Continued ]

