Thus, protecting and enhancing the moisture barrier of your skin is vital. Use barrier-strengthening ingredients. Here, a list of the best skin-barrier-strengthening actives to look for: “I also encourage a diet rich in prebiotic and probiotic foods, and healthy fats,” she says. Prebiotics are essentially the food for probiotics, the “healthy” bacteria that makes up a balanced skin and gut microbiome. Think garlic, onions, chickpeas, fermented foods like kimchi, as well as various veggies, fruits, and legumes. As for healthy fats, you can turn to salmon, coconut oil, avocados, extra-virgin olive oil, and more. Chronic stress, in particular, keeps the body’s production of cortisol in overdrive20, which will appear on the skin. For example, there is a strong connection between cortisol and developing hormonal acne, which is well researched and vetted by skin care experts. As with so many other health woes, inflammatory skin conditions can be ameliorated with some good, old-fashioned stress-reduction and self-care.
