Strip your routine back to the basics – gentle cleanser, a barrier-repairing moisturiser, and SPF – and hold off on actives until the tightness and flaking settle, usually around two weeks.

• Cleanse with something gentle – anything foaming or stripping will only make a compromised barrier worse.
• Skip actives like retinol, AHA/BHA and vitamin C completely until your skin feels calm again.
• Seal everything in at night with a true barrier balm – Skin Functional's version uses lanolin and cupuaçu butter to reduce water loss.
• Give it at least two weeks of consistency before judging whether it's working.
• SPF every morning – a damaged barrier is more reactive to UV, not less.

Hydration comes first – get your moisture barrier strong with a ceramide-rich balm and daily SPF before you introduce anything like retinol, because actives applied to a dry, compromised barrier just cause irritation instead of results.

• Fine lines in your 20s are usually more about dehydration than actual ageing – hydration fixes a lot of it.
• A ceramide or lanolin-based balm at night helps rebuild the lipid layer that keeps moisture in.
• SPF every single morning – unprotected skin forms fine lines faster, at any age.
• Once your barrier feels comfortable (no tightness, no flaking), that's your cue to introduce a low-strength retinol.
• Introducing actives too early just irritates already-dry skin and can make fine lines look worse, not better.