Dehydrated vs dry
Firstly, to understand dehydrated skin, we need to understand the difference between ‘dry’ and ‘dehydrated’ skin. While they may share similar signs and symptoms, they are actually very different. Here’s a brief breakdown of the differences between the two.
Dry Skin
Dry skin classifies as a skin type and is determined through your genetics. It is caused by inadequate oil production, contributing to a complexion that is dry and lackluster in appearance. While there’s no way to change your genetics, you can help by incorporating oil-based products to your daily routine like Evercalm™ Barrier Support Elixir or Evercalm™ Overnight Recovery Balm to help replenish your skin and help strengthen and repair your skin barrier.
Dehydrated Skin
Unlike dry skin, dehydrated skin is a condition caused by an absence of water, not oil. Therefore, even oily skin types can also be dehydrated. Dehydrated skin is caused by external factors like changes in the weather and pollution, or lifestyle factors like diet and water consumption. All these factors can diminish your skin’s water content, which causes dehydrated skin to look less healthy. Luckily, dehydrated skin is often temporary, and its symptoms can be relieved with a combination of lifestyle changes and adopting a dehydrated skin routine.
If you’re unsure how to tell if your skin is dehydrated or dry, here are our four tell-tale characteristics of dehydrated skin that all point in the same direction:
1. Itching: External factors like extremes in temperature, heating or air conditioning can increase water-loss from the outer layer of your skin, causing tight or itchy sensations, which can be accompanied by flaking.
2. Increased sensitivity: One of the main consequences of dehydrated skin is an increase in sensitivity. When your skin’s moisture barrier is compromised it can’t properly protect itself from external stressors. As a result, irritants like pollution can penetrate your skin’s outermost layer, causing itching, redness and discomfort.
3. Dullness: Dehydration affects your skin’s ability to perform essential functions like cell turnover. Without adequate hydration, your skin sheds its outer layer less frequently. This causes the build-up of dulling dead skin cells on its surface, which in turn contributes to congestion and a lackluster complexion.
4. Fine lines: Dehydrated skin often displays the initial signs of ageing, manifesting as a network of very fine lines. Unlike crow’s feet and deeper wrinkles, these lines are caused by the absence of water within the skin to plump and smooth its appearance.
So, you’ve ascertained whether your skin is dehydrated or dry, now you need to take positive action.
How to defend your skin against dehydration
Before we go into a skincare routine to help relieve the symptoms of dehydrated skin, we need to explore some small lifestyle changes that can help you. Caffeine and alcohol deplete your skin’s water levels, so drinking less of both is a great first step back to hydrated and healthy-looking skin. If your everyday environment is dry, then you might need to invest in a humidifier, and switch that air-conditioning off. Skip harsh exfoliating treatments and scrubs, which can strip your skin’s moisture barrier, and give your dehydrated skin time to bounce back.
Our dehydrated skin routine
Step 1: Start, as always, with a gentle cleanse, and make sure that you use a non-stripping formula. Evercalm™ Gentle Cleansing Milk is a great option as it’s enriched with nourishing and softening Blackcurrant Seed Extract and Sea Buckthorn Oil to help comfort and soothe irritated skin.
Step 2: Next up, one step you don’t want to skip if you have dehydrated skin is an essence. Packed with bio-fermented Hyaluronic Acid and Polyglutamic Acid to supercharge your skin’s moisture levels, Perfect Canvas Smooth, Prep & Plump Essence instantly plumps your skin with hydration and protects it against everyday environmental irritants like pollution.
Step 3: Say hello to more Hyaluronic Acid in your serum. Instead of drying your face after cleansing, the key to maximizing your skin’s moisture is to keep your skin damp when applying your serum because it drags water into your skin and helps increase absorption. Everhydrate Marine Moisture-Restore Serum acts like moisture magnets, infused with different molecular weights of Hyaluronic Acid, that drag moisture deep into your skin, and keep it there.
Step 4: Finally, it’s time to lock in in all that plumping hydration and protect your skin’s outer layer with a moisturiser. Not only does Everhydrate Marine Moisture-Replenish Cream help strengthen your skin barrier, but we’ve enriched the water-locking formula with a unique cellular pectin from Freshwater Plant, and fatty acids to increase water retention and help prevent TEWL (Trans Epidermal Water Loss).
For more reading on dehydrated skin, check out the rest of our articles: How to hydrate dry sensitive skin, Dry vs dehydrated skin and A complete routine for dry skin
