As the body’s largest organ, the skin is the outermost layer of the integumentary system, acting as a barrier against environmental stressors. But beneath the skin, there’s much more happening than meets the eye.

Cleansing your skin isn’t just about removing dirt—it’s about maintaining a healthy, resilient skin barrier. Your skin’s barrier is its first line of defense against environmental stressors, bacteria, and moisture loss. Using the wrong cleanser or over-cleansing can strip your skin of its natural oils, leading to irritation, dryness, and imbalance.

Since it’s National Skin Care Awareness Month, I thought I’d share with you these basic principles I use to guide my professional aesthetics practice. I’ve been practicing now for 19 years and I didn’t always have a road map on how to treat clients. These are things I’ve developed over time going through struggles with my own skin right alongside my clients and their unique skin concerns. These 4 pillars are also the result of countless trial and error scenarios and the various books and articles I’ve read and educational programs I’ve sought out over the years.

The barrier weakens with age and the more pale your skin is the thinner the barrier, which means you’re more prone to irritation. The good news is since your cells are constantly renewing themselves, you can improve the issue and prevent future damage.

The comedogenic scale was originally created to rate the tendency of a skincare ingredient to clog pores. The idea of comedogenic products and their effect on the skin was first introduced in 1970s by Albert Klingman and James Fulton and was based originally on tests conducted on rabbit ears. There are plenty of products that like to boast a low comedogenic rating and even professional skincare companies that educate estheticians on how to spot so-called comedogenic ingredients, however, I find this concept outdated and unreliable for many reasons.