Dry vs Dehydrated skin
We often hear the words 'dry' and 'dehydrated' to describe someone's skin - but how can you tell the difference between the two?
Firstly, dry skin is a skin type. This means that you are either born with this skin or it can develop over time. Dehydrated skin is a skin condition that any skin type can suffer from temporarily.
How to tell if your skin is dry?
When the skin is dry it means that is is producing less lipids (oils) than a normal skin type. Your skin's natural oils help to nourisha nd protect the skin's barrier - which can assist in the reduction of other skin conditions. Without sufficient oils, the skin will appear flakey and rough. Cue the oil rich moisturisers!!!
Those who have a dry skin generally can suffer from eczema (hello my old time friend!!), psoriasis or dermatitis. I personally have a dry skin with dehydration, which has led to managing eczema for MANY years!! My skin can easily be inflamed and irritated from products or environmental factors - stress included. It is crazy how much stress can affect the skin!! (But we can talk more about that later...)
What is dehydrated skin?
Dehydrated skin is when the skin lacks water/moisture - which results in the skin feeling tight, appearing dull and visible fine lines and wrinkles. The thing with dehydrated skin is that ANY skin type can suffer from this condition. Even someone with an oily skin type can suffer from dehydration.
I bet you are wondering how do you treat dry or dehydrated skin ... or both?!?!
It's very simple.
To treat a dry skin, you would opt for a moisturiser that contains rich, fatty acids that help to make up for the lack of necessary oil production. My favourite moisturisers are Comfort Zone Renight Cream & Alpha H Liquid Gold 24 Hour Moisture Repair Cream.
The best way to treat dehydrated skin is to use a potent serum that will travel down to the deepest layers of the skin and hydrate from within! I can't go past the Alpha H Hyaluronic 8 Serum or Comfort Zone Hydramemory serum to hydrate and plump my skin. It is also important to remember that as dehydrated skin is a condition, it means that environmental factors can affect the skin - air conditioning, excess sun exposure and over consumption of caffeinated beverages all affect your skin's hydration levels. So it is important to assess your skin when in contact with these type of environmental factors and incorporate products that are targeted and will address your concern of dehydration or dryness.
Now before you all go out and start applying your hydrating serums and rich moisturisers, take the time to have a professional skin consultation so that you have an exact understanding of your skin and the conditions you may have. Someone who is trained in skin analysis will be able to pin point exactly where to enhance your skincare routine - sometimes it can only take a change in one product and you are back to your dewy self once more!!
Happy Hydrating X