Finding out the difference between dry vs dehydrated skin is important because it will inform the appropriate actions. While some people have either dry or dehydrated skin, others have both. Do you change your skincare routine in line with the seasons? If not, you should. When winter changes to summer and vice versa, you should also be changing your skincare routine and/or products.
So, which most describes your skin, DRY or DEHYDRATED – or maybe both! Dry and dehydrated skins have features that are alike but have different fundamental causes. In essence, the causes of dry skin are very different from the causes of dehydrated skin.
Causes of Dry Skin
Dry skin is primarily caused by lack of enough oil in the skin. The indicators of that can be used to distinguish dry skin vs dehydrated skin include,
- Smaller pores
- Dry skin patches causing that ‘taut’ feeling
- Dry cracked skin or flaky
- Itchy skin
- Milia spots appearing on the face
- Skin looks lackluster
- Skin is not filled
- The skin doesn’t soak up products easily
- The skin is easily aggravated – suffers from reactions to products
Causes of Dehydrated Skin
Dehydrated skin is caused by a deficiency of water in the skin. Anyone can suffer from dehydrated skin. The indicators of dehydrated skin include,
- Pores can be either large or small
- The skin appears oily and suffers breakouts even though it feels taut and the texture is dry
- Soaks up moisturizers very rapidly
- Blemishes and pimples are still noticeable
- Foundation vanishes (and ends up patchy) during the day as the skin is soaking up any water in your makeup
- Skin appears ‘grey’ or ashy
- Irritated by everyday life environments – may endure headaches quite often.
Skin Composition
Your skin comprises of around 70% water. The uppermost part of the skin known as the epidermis contains 20-30% of that water content. If the moistness in the epidermis is lost too rapidly the usual strong condition the skin is normally in is conceded.
We can all become dehydrated at different times of the year with dry skin on the face being the most common complaint.
Why Do Our Skins Dry Out and Dehydrate?
Although there are differences when it comes to dry vs dehydrated skin, there are some factors that cause both. Most of the reasons why our skins suffer are directly related to how we choose to live our lives.
Atmosphere – be it in the home or outside so central heating, wintry air, arid air, excessive sun, air conditioning.
Nutrition – the incorrect diet, alcohol, caffeine, not drinking enough water
Way of Life – anxiety or stress bad skincare regimen, using the incorrect products, pills or treatments – including birth control
Hormonal Issues – such as the menstrual cycle, or in pregnancy
Heredity – the genetic makeup of the person can make them either more or less susceptible to dry or dehydrated skin.
How to fix dehydrated skin and dry skin
So, what if you find you have both dry and dehydrated skin? It isn’t uncommon to find you have to address dry skincare and dehydrated skin too. Here are some dry skin remedies and how to improve dehydrated skin which you can implement at home.
Do change your moisturizer to a more appropriate product for dry skin. A good rule of thumb is to look for a product that describes its benefits as ‘nourishing’
Do swap your moisturizer to something marked ‘hydra’ or ‘hydrating’ if you suspect your skin is dehydrated and lacking moisture
Don’t use products that are too harsh. They will make your symptoms worse.
Don’t overuse products that are designed to “foam”
For dry skins, do use balms, oils, and serums.
For dehydrated skins, do use milk, specified oils, and treatments.
Dry vs Dehydrated Skincare
Do refrain from overusing skin care products containing mineral oils, silicones (this is o.k. in makeup), lanolin’s and synthetic fragrance which will make dry or dehydrated skin worse. When looking at dry vs dehydrated skin, it’s important to note that both conditions contribute to unhealthy skin.
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