Sensitivity

Barrier Repair

Tight, stinging, reactive skin that has stopped tolerating products it used to be fine with is usually not sensitive skin. It is usually a damaged barrier, most often from too many actives at once. The fix is subtraction before addition.

2 steps

The steps

Some products in this routine are temporarily unavailable. They are marked out of stock and left out of the total — you can still add the rest, and open any unavailable product to be notified when it is back in stock.

Step 3BothOut of stock
Medik8 Hydr8 B5 Intense
Medik8 Hydr8 B5 Intense 30ml
Medik8 · 30ml · £54
Hyaluronic acid pulls water into the skin, but it needs something above it to hold that water there. Apply to slightly damp skin and always follow with a moisturiser, or in dry conditions it can draw moisture out rather than in.
Out of stock — excluded from totalNotify me when back in stock
Step 4BothOut of stock
Alastin Ultra Nourishing Moisturizer
Alastin Ultra Nourishing Moisturizer 59ml
Alastin · 59ml · £62
The occlusive step that seals the layers beneath it. This is the one product you should not skip, and it is worth applying more generously than you think you need to.
Out of stock — excluded from totalNotify me when back in stock

What to expect

Most people notice reduced stinging within a week and visible calming within two to four weeks. The hardest instruction is the most important one: stop all retinoids, acids and vitamin C entirely for at least two weeks, then reintroduce one product at a time, two weeks apart. Reintroducing everything at once is how people end up back here.

When to see someone

Persistent redness, itching, scaling or flares that do not settle with a simplified routine may be eczema, seborrhoeic dermatitis or rosacea rather than barrier damage, and these need diagnosis rather than a different serum.