Dry skin and dehydrated skin are two different things. And with that, they need different treatments to fix the issue. Along with dehydrated skin, hydration and moisture is different. With all these differences, let’s outline what everything is, how they are different and how to fix the problems.
Let’s Start with Dry Skin
Dry skin is a skin type and is usually inherited through genetics. However, you can improve your skin barrier that causes redness and sensitive skin. I have a blog post all about how you can fix your skin barrier for sensitive skin. You can improve your dry skin with the right products and topical skincare treatments.
Dry skin means you don’t create enough sebum, which is oil, that your skin needs to be healthy and not dry.
Dry skin can show up as:
- Scaly skin
- White flakes
- Redness
- Irritation
The worst areas are usually near the eyebrows and around the corners of the nose and mouth. Take note of the season as dry skin can come and go with the change of weather as well.
Now, Dehydrated Skin
Dehydrated skin is a skin condition that is caused by external elements such as weather, environment, diet, and caffeine consumption, but you can correct it. Dehydration means your body is losing more water than it’s taking in. It’s due to a lack of water, not oil-related.
Dehydrated skin can show up as:
- Itchiness
- Dullness
- Dark under-eye circle
- Sunken eyes
- Increased appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
- Clogged pores
Dehydrated looks, acts, and feels older. Think of it like a raisin versus a grape.
A grape is hydrated, plump, and full. This is what we want our skin to look like. A raisin is wrinkled and dried out. This is what we don’t want.
Even oily skin can be dehydrated!
You can experience more clogged pores either in the form of blackheads or whiteheads. This is because when your skin is dehydrated, your skin tries to hydrate it by creating more sebum aka oil to make up for it. But in the process, it’s overproducing oil causing the excess oil to stay on your skin, seep into your pores and clog your pores.
The Pinch Test
If you want to see if you have dehydrated skin, pinch a piece of skin on your cheek. If it wrinkles with gentle pressure instead of holding its shape, it’s dehydrated.
How To Fix Dehydrated Skin
To fix dehydrated skin, we need to know the difference between hydrating products and moisturizing products.
Hydration
Hydration and products that are designed to hydrate the skin pull water from the air into your skin. You need to get water into your skin somehow and hydrators have those elements.
Hydrators contain hyaluronic acid which is a molecule that attracts and holds water. One gram can hold up to 6 liters of water. Hyaluronic Acid is a very large molecule that sits on top of the skin when applied.
Glycerin is another ingredient you want in your hydrator. Glycerin is a small molecule that is capable of absorbing at the skin’s surface.
Look for a serum that contains hyaluronic acid and glycerin to attract and hold water. Serums are easier to layer under a moisturizer to retain the water/moisture you just attracted.
**HOT TIP: When applying this product, make sure your skin is slightly damp. If you apply hyaluronic acid on dry skin that is already dehydrated, there is no water for it to hold onto and do it’s job. This can result in drier feeling skin.
Rodan + Fields Active Hydration Serum contains 30% Glycerin and cross-linked Hyaluronic Acid to draw moisture from the atmosphere and lock it on the surface of the skin. As well as glycerin to prevent moisture loss and hyaluronic acid to deeply hydrate. It balances moisture levels and preps skin to better receive products applied after.
Some other products that are good are:
Moisturizer
Moisturizing keeps the hydration in your skin. The right moisturizer for your skin will help hold the water in from evaporating into the air, therefore keeping your skin hydrated longer.
Your skin needs moisture and that moisture needs to stay in with a moisturizer.
When looking for a moisturizer, look for ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, glycerin, vitamin A, C, & E, antioxidants, and peptides in a lotion or cream. It all depends on what you are trying to achieve with your skincare needs, but these are all great ingredients to include for all skin types.
Rodan + Fields Redefine Overnight Restorative Cream contains hyaluronic acid to pull moisture into the skin and glycerin to keep the moisture in the skin. Vitamin A, C & E which is 12-hour, time-released vitamin combination replenishes vital nutrients to leave skin feeling refreshed and renewed. This cream is an ultra-moisturizing night cream that visibly firms skin and softens the appearance of wrinkles.
Some other products I recommend:
Other things…
Some other things you can do to fix your dehydrated skin are:
- Drink more water
- Avoid excess caffeine and alcohol as they dehydrate not only your body but also your skin
- Exfoliate your skin 2-3x a week to help all your skin products absorb into your skin better
- Take note of the season and weather and change in your skin
- Consider a humidifier
- Facial mists can add instant hydration to your skin
- Avoid super hot, long showers
I hope this was helpful and gave you some insight on the difference between dry skin and dehydrated skin, and the benefits of adding hydrating skincare products and moisturizers into your routine!
XO, Annie
