How to Save Your Skin This WinterFour local experts decode the science behind our winter skin woes, and recommend the products and practices worth trying now. “When compromised, our skin barrier shifts its pH and takes sides with the ‘bad’ bacteria, causing inflammation,” she says. Because it retains way less moisture than warm air, it causes our skin to retain less water, which dehydrates the skin barrier. Saedi reminds us that UV damage weakens the skin barrier, and a healthy skin barrier helps your skin hold onto moisture. Once the skin barrier is compromised or damaged, your skin will be more reactive, become more irritated and lose more moisture throughout the day.