How to care for dehydrated skin
Text: Adel Miftakhova
Dehydration is one of the most common skin problems. Even those who have not experienced it in their experience (lucky ones!) Probably have heard how badly the life of the skin, dryness and fine wrinkles ruin people’s lives. At the same time, it is not so simple to deal with the causes of dehydration and return the skin a comfortable level of moisture: dry skin is often confused with dry skin and trying to fix the problem by drinking lots of water, but this does not help. The author of the Telegram channel Don't Touch My Face, Adel Miftakhova, tells how to understand that your skin suffers from a lack of moisturizing, eliminate the causes that led to this, and restore the skin with caring means.
How to understand that your skin is dehydrated
Dehydration is one of the most common skin conditions, but often even authoritative publications confuse it with dryness. However, dryness and dehydration are caused by different reasons, and although they may feel similar, the key difference between them is that dry skin suffers from a lack of natural fat, and dehydrated skin suffers.
Dry skin, like oily or normal skin, is the type of skin that characterizes its permanent property. How much fat the skin produces depends mainly on heredity and genes, and to some extent on age and nutrition. This means that if you are the owner of dry skin, then, most likely, it is for a long time, and it is almost impossible to influence it. Dehydration is a temporary (and reversible) condition in which the skin loses too much water, both external and internal factors can be the cause. In this case, any type of skin can be dehydrated - from extremely dry to very oily. If you live in a big city and do not adhere to a strictly healthy lifestyle, then this article is very likely about you.
Almost all owners of oily and combination skin are familiar with the situation when, despite the obvious oily luster of the face, dryness and tightness are still felt during the day, and sometimes there is peeling. And this is perhaps the most obvious sign that the skin is dehydrated. Due to the fact that she does not have enough water, moisturizers are absorbed instantly, and the tonal resources already by the middle of the day roll off and become noticeable. This happens because the skin absorbs all the water from the tonal tool and only pigment remains on the surface. Dehydrated skin of any type looks gray, dull, and on its surface are many small fine wrinkles that are easily smoothed due to moisture. Usually, dehydration is most pronounced on the forehead, cheeks and in the area around the eyes.
Leading to dehydration
There are several reasons why our skin loses moisture, and although internal factors are also present, external factors play a greater role. On the surface of our skin there is a protective lipid layer that retains water in it. Often, dehydration is the result of the weakening of this protective layer: as a result, the evaporation of water from the skin increases (in dermatology, this process is called transepidermal water loss, or TEWL). On the one hand, dry skin is more prone to dehydration, because by default it produces less sebum to protect against water loss, but on the other hand, it is customary to clean oily and problematic skin with aggressive agents that completely deprive the epidermis and water and natural barrier.
Another common cause is weather and dry air. So, in the winter, when the heating is working at full capacity, the humidity of the air tends to zero, and this invariably affects the condition of the skin. In the summer, air-conditioners replace batteries and heaters. In dry air, the skin loses a large amount of water due to evaporation and to the touch becomes like oiled paper. Prolonged exposure to the sun also activates the evaporation of water from the skin - and this is another reason, among many others, because of which it is not worth long to be in direct sunlight.
If drinking plenty of water will help?
To cope with the dehydration of the skin and make it smooth and radiant is easy, and cosmetics in this case plays perhaps the most important role. Ideally, the solution to any skin problems should begin with the elimination of internal causes, but since dehydration is largely due to external factors, then exposure directly to the surface of the skin will help to get rid of it.
In recent years, advice has been heard from all the irons - drink enough water. Indeed, it may seem that if you drink more, it will help the skin to restore water balance and solve the problem of dehydration. In fact, there have been very few studies that have studied the dependence of the amount of water in the skin on the amount of water consumed, and none of them proved that there is a direct connection. Water is good for the body, but the skin needs moisture from the outside. So, the problem of dry air in rooms is easily solved with the help of humidifiers. Moist air will allow the skin to evaporate less water and, as a result, to maintain its moisture level.
Reduce water loss is also possible if you follow a diet. Smoking, alcohol and sugar contribute to the complex aging process in which dehydration is also involved. We will not advise you to completely abandon the wine and desserts, but recall that everything is good in moderation and use them better in reasonable quantities.
How to properly care for dehydrated skin
In the care of dehydrated skin, the main thing is not to overdo it. Considering that the lipid layer is almost the main obstacle preventing the skin from losing moisture, we recommend to pay attention to the sparing agents that do not contain aggressive surfactants and alcohol. They, of course, damage the protective layer, but not to the extent that foam scourers do. For example, CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser is a simple but effective cleanser for sulfates. In itself, of course, it does not moisturize, but does not dry, and it is perfect even for oily skin. Or Clinique Take The Day Off hydrophilic balm for cleansing based on safflower oil - it does not leave a film on the skin, perfectly washes away makeup and impurities.
It is important not to forget about peeling - it helps to remove dead skin cells from the skin surface so that moisturizers can better penetrate the skin and act more efficiently. In addition to the exfoliating properties, ANA acids in low concentrations can also retain water in the skin, which is never superfluous. When choosing exfoliating agents, it is also better to dwell on mild and alcohol-free ones, since there are a great many of them on the market. Our favorite is the acid tonic Clarins Gentle Exfoliator, it is suitable for owners of any skin type: it renews, gives shine and eliminates peeling.
In the fight against dehydrated skin of any type, layering moisturizers works great. About this available and interesting author of the blog LabMuffin writes Michel Wong. First of all, after cleansing (and optionally exfoliating) it is worth applying a water-based product containing moisturizing ingredients, such as glycerin or hyaluronic acid. Most often they are produced in the form of serums and are suitable for any type of skin, as moisturizing is necessary even for the most oily and problematic. These products compensate for the lack of water in the skin and instantly give a pleasant feeling of moisture. Look for "moisture", "hydrating" or "dehydrated" on the packaging. Water-based products are best applied to the skin that is still wet after washing or applying the tonic to ensure maximum moisture.
Pay attention to the light emulsion Holika Holika 3 Seconds Starter with hyaluronic acid or Caudalie Vinosource SOS Thirst Quenching Serum serum, which instantly moisturizes the skin, removes peeling in just a couple of days, and most importantly, it is quickly absorbed and not felt at all on the face. Not a budget option at all - Chanel Hydra Beauty Micro Serum is a luxurious serum that works well in conjunction with the rest of the Hydra Beauty series and by itself.
Light watery means are quickly absorbed and instantly moisturize the skin, and here it is important to keep this effect as long as possible. To keep the water in the skin, immediately after the moisturizing serum is to apply a cream containing oil (that is, almost any). At night and with very dry skin, you can use special oils for the face. In this case, they will act as an analogue of the natural lipid layer and will not allow moisture to evaporate. Silicones are also a good water retaining component.
Take a closer look at the Estée Lauder DayWear line - there will be products for all skin types with a pleasant texture and sun-protection filters. If the skin is prone to fat, we recommend Bliss Drench'n'Quench moisturizer: it does not provoke additional shine, and when applied it turns into water. Well and heavy artillery - night serum in oil for skin of any type The Body Shop Vitamin E Serum-In-Oil. It helps to transform the skin, make it soft, elastic and at the same time does not provoke additional fat content.
Photo: Chanel, yiucheung - stock.adobe.com, lercanon550d - stock.adobe.com, Andrey Kuzmin - stock.adobe.com