Most of us understand the negative effects of dehydration on our overall health, but did you know it has the potential to wreak visible havoc on our faces, too?

First things first - dry skin and dehydrated skin are two different things, although can happen in conjunction with one another. Dry skin is an inherent skin condition that will sustain for most of your life, whereas dehydration is more of a ‘state’ your skin is in that can be treated.

What causes it?

Dehydration is a lack of water, not oil. This means that your skin can be both oily and dehydrated at the same time - a new type of combination skin, if you will.

Dehydrated skin is normally a result of a damaged skin barrier. The hydrolipidic film - your skin barrier - acts as a regulator by retaining moisture and hydration whilst also protecting against germs entering. If you have a compromised skin barrier, it won’t function the way it should and, as a result, the water from your epidermis will evaporate quicker than it should. When this happens, your skin will look and feel dehydrated. 

The main cause of dehydration in the skin often comes back to your environment - cold weather, wind, air conditioning and central heating play a huge part. Similarly, a surge in hormones, not drinking enough water and drinking too much caffeine can also result in your skin becoming dehydrated.

And how can you identify it?

Dehydrated skin can be hard to identify because not all dehydrated skin will necessarily have large or small pores - you could have either. Similarly, you may still suffer from spots and blackheads (remember what we said about skin being both oily AND dehydrated?).

Key things to look out for when trying to identify dehydration include:

  • Your skin feels tight, especially when you come out of the shower/bath

  • When you apply products, it disappears almost instantly and doesn’t sit on top of the skin

  • Your skin can look grey or have an ashen tone

  • You have dehydration lines - try gently pulling your skin sideways to check if any fine lines appear

  • When you wear makeup, it vanishes or becomes patchy throughout the day

So, how can you treat it?

Many people think that if their skin is dehydrated, they can just drink a lot of water and HEY PRESTO! But it’s important to remember that your skin isn’t a sponge and therefore doesn’t just immediately soak up water that has been orally ingested. With that said, making sure you’re drinking at least 8 glasses a day and eating water-rich foods that are high in essential fatty acids (such as fruits & vegetables) is always a great place to start.

Our best advice would be to focus on repairing your skin barrier by looking for soothing, hydrating products. Try keeping a good quality facial mist handy to use throughout the day and to ‘sandwich’ your AM & PM skincare products - we love the Josh Rosebrook Hydrating Accelerator. In addition, try adding in a weekly moisturising mask (try Simple’s Hydrating Sheet Mask!) as well as a daily nourishing facial oil - of course we’d recommend our Elevate blend46 or Signature Blend33 oils!

If you’d like to discuss your skin in more detail, book in for a Signature Facial by clicking the button below!

Love,

33Dowanhill

x