Having dealt with psoriasis for years, I learned the hard way that a compromised skin barrier needs extreme simplicity at night. My go-to routine when my skin is acting up is just three steps: I cleanse gently with a cream cleanser, apply a pea-sized amount of retinoid mixed directly into my moisturizer (this buffers the active while still giving results), and then seal everything with a thin layer of a healing balm on the driest patches. Before my daughter's wedding last year, this exact combo--retinoid buffered in a ceramide-rich moisturizer plus a finishing occlusive--rescued my flaking skin in just four days without any irritation.