Even highlighter doesn’t help your dull complexion, wrinkles and a dry face? This could be a manifestation of the same problem: dehydration. Read about how to recognize it and what to do about it in this article.
When I turned 25, I seriously began to think about beauty shots. No, I had normal lips, clear cheekbones, a neat nose… But there were already appeared “crows feet” under my eyes, a crease on the forehead and overcame the constant, persistent dryness of the skin. And here I sit in front of the beautician and with a clever look lists the names of the procedures, which she herself wrote: biorevitalization, mesotherapy, injections of hyaluronic acid … I get one answer to this program: moisturizing. The main point in the care of any skin, and even more so for dry skin like mine.
Any girl can face this problem. Yes, some people’s dryness may be genetic: I was born with thin, fair skin, and a single pimple pops up once every six months. People admire my complexion, but I’d rather draw another lottery ticket in the genetic lottery: I age earlier and get pigment spots.
Acquired dehydration is much more common. It can affect anyone- young or old, lady or gentleman. Even if you have oily skin, there’s no guarantee that one day you won’t find yourself with tightness! The problem has to do with impaired barrier function. The stratum corneum of the skin is covered by a hydro-lipid mantle, a mixture of sebum secretion and moisture. Once that protective film is damaged, water begins to “evaporate.” This often happens if we’ve messed up with our care: excessive exfoliation, sunburn, or using the wrong cream.
To be fair, sometimes you have nothing to do with it: the hydrolipid mantle is also disrupted during menopause, in winter and due to taking certain medications. Unlike constitutional dryness, dehydration is temporary. With proper care, of course: if you let yourself go, you can get hypersensitivity, when the face becomes irritated and covered with peeling for any reason.
Checklist: Check your skin for dehydration
Want to know what condition your skin is in? Let’s check it out with a checklist: read each statement and check the ones that are true, then tally your yes answers and get instructions.
- After washing your face, your face tightens up.
- The moisturizer is absorbed instantly, like water in parched earth.
- Face tone is gray and dull.
- By the middle of the day, my face is dry, even if I put on makeup in the morning to take care of it.
- Often bothered by itching/peeling/redness – signs of sensitivity.
- A network of fine lines and wrinkles can be seen under the eyes and on the cheeks.
- Oily shine is extremely rare.
Results:
1-2 yes answers: everything is fine. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t moisturize your skin. Use a specialized serum or cream once a day to keep your complexion looking healthy and fresh for longer.
3-5 yes answers: skin is dry or dehydrated. The rules below are for you. In short: Twice a day, hook up a moisturizing serum in combination with a cream. You need serious products that replenish moisture and retain it.
6-7 “yes” answers: it looks like a clinical manifestation of dehydration. It is advisable to see a cosmetologist with such a problem. As for home care, your choices are drugstore brands of cosmetics that specifically help with the problem of dehydration.
Five rules for your home care routine.
Either way, the home care plan of action is plus or minus the same. Together with cosmetologists and after testing dozens of jars, I’ve derived the following system that has helped keep things from going to injections:
- Don’t cleanse to a squeaky clean. Scrubs, powerful washes and (heaven forbid) soaps are the first to destroy the protective mantle. Instead of all that, use foams, oils, milks and acid peels.
- Immediately after washing, moisturize. It’s important that the product works on “two floors” – both inside and out.
- Do not forget about the cream. It improves skin barrier functions and seals the moisture, thus strengthening the action of the serum. Don’t be afraid of excess products: moisturizer feels comfortable on your face if it’s matched to your skin type.
- Protect. Dehydrated skin is vulnerable, and one ray is enough for a sunburn. Leaving the house without SPF is like leaving the house without your phone.
- Drink more. When water is scarce, the skin is the first to suffer – according to the body’s logic, it doesn’t need moisture as much as other organs and systems.