Your skin strengthening protocol is designed to rebuild and protect your skin barrier—a crucial step in achieving long-term skin health. Our skin barrier is constantly under stress from environmental aggressors, harsh products, and internal factors, making it vulnerable and less effective at protecting us.

 

Before introducing corrective treatments, it is absolutely essential to ensure your barrier is strong. Skipping this step or moving too quickly can lead to chronic inflammation, which contributes to:

• Inflammaging (premature aging due to inflammation)

• Hyperpigmentation

• Acne and rosacea flare-ups

• Rough skin texture

• Accelerated aging

 

What to Expect During This Phase

The products in this phase are geared to strengthen your skin barrier. To help your skin ease you into correctives, we may gradually introduce retinol to start increasing cellular turnover—helping your skin become more tolerant before transitioning to stronger corrective products.

 

If you’re new to medical-grade skincare, you may notice mild improvements in brightness and texture. However, this is not the phase for dramatic results. Think of this protocol as the “warm-up” before a workout—it may not feel exciting, but it is absolutely necessary to avoid long-term damage and ensure lasting results.

 

Mild Reactions Are Normal

Some patients experience mild, expected reactions, while others may not. These may include:

• Slight redness or flaking

• Splotchiness or dryness

• Temporary oiliness or dullness

• Purging (a temporary increase in breakouts even if not acne prone)

• Temporary darkening of pigmentation (actually dead cells sitting on top of the skin or pigment beginning to lift)

 

These responses are not harmful—they're part of your skin’s natural adjustment process. As we increase cellular turnover, dead skin cells may linger on the surface temporarily, leading to some of these visible effects. This is normal and temporary.

If you're acne-prone, your skin may appear to "get worse" before it gets better. This is not a negative reaction—your products are not causing breakouts. Instead, they're helping bring impurities to the surface, which must be cleared for a healthy barrier to form. These reactions are not considered an emergency and should be anticipated.

 

Consistency is Key

Staying consistent with your protocol is critical. Every time you stop or skip, you interrupt the process—and set your progress back.

• Report any reactions during your next check-in or in person appointment, but stay the course unless advised otherwise.

• Do not stop your products due to mild, expected reactions.

• A strong, healthy skin barrier is the foundation for clear, glowing, resilient skin.

 

When to Seek Help

While most reactions are anticipated and harmless and are TEMPORARY, the following are not normal and may indicate an adverse response:

• Rashes

• Bleeding

• Swelling

 

These reactions have never happened with our protocols but be aware of them. If you experience any of these, please complete an Emergency Form immediately so our team can assist you appropriately. Be CERTAIN to submit photos in your MyTouch portal before submitting the form.