In dermatology and skincare, the terms “dry skin” and “dehydrated skin” are often used interchangeably. They may look (and even) feel similar but actually have different meanings. Keep reading to learn about the causes and symptoms of dry skin vs dehydrated skin. Plus tips for building a skincare routine that supports the skin barrier and promotes skin wellness.
What is Dry Skin
Dry skin scientifically referred to as xerosis cutis is a skin type caused by a lack of sebum production. That results in a lack of natural moisturising factors, such as urea, amino acids, and lactic acid. Alongside, a lack in ceramides which help maintain a healthy skin barrier. Dry skin appears flaky, scaly, with potential redness or irritations and has an increased incidence of some skin conditions. Such as, eczema, other types of dermatitis and psoriasis. Factors that contribute to dry skin include
Hormonal imbalance, for example, during menopause.
Extreme weather conditions (cold and arid climates in particular) and
The natural ageing process, as the skin’s ability to produce sebum declines with age.
What is Dehydrated Skin
Dehydrated skin on the other hand, is often a temporary skin condition. Caused by a lack of water in the upper most layer of your skin. This can be due to a damaged skin barrier, a lack of water in your diet or excessive sweating due to physical exertion or a health condition known as hyper-hidrosis. This results in skin that feels itchy, dry, tight and is uncomfortable. Although dry skin types may be more likely to also have dehydrated skin, as the skin’s natural oils play a vital role in retaining water and maintaining water loss.
Dehydrated skin can occur in any skin type including oily and combination skin types. Dehydrated skin typically appears dull. Can also show premature signs of ageing like increased sensitivity to fine lines, wrinkles, and loss of elasticity.
Factors such as weather, the natural ageing process, excessively long or hot showers, and harsh skincare products can worsen dehydrated skin by stripping the skin of its natural oils.
Tips for Dehydrated Skin and Dry Skin
While dry skin and dehydrated skin differ, there are some steps you can take to address both concerns. Lifestyle modifications and a consistent skincare routine suitable to dry skin and dehydrated skin can help restore comfortability to your skin for those with dry or dehydrated skin.
Address Contributing Lifestyle Factors
Hydrate from the inside out, aim to drink plenty of water. The general recommendation for adults from the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine is about: 2.7Liters a day for women and 3.7 Liters a day for men.
How much water you need depends on a variety of factors such as if you live at a high altitude or in hot, humid or dry areas. How active are you during the day, do you stand or walk a lot or are you sitting at a desk all day. Are you pregnant or breastfeeding, is it a warmer season with more perspiration or a colder season. What is your diet like, do you drink a lot of caffeinated beverages or is your diet high in salty, spicy or sugary foods. Do you eat a lot of water-rich foods like watermelon, strawberry and cucumber.
All these factors determine how much water you actually need, and it varies from person to person.
Also, to help keep skin feeling comfortable, choose clothing made from soft fabrics and add a silk or cotton layer when wearing wool or other rough fabrics. And when washing your clothes, choose a hypoallergenic detergent to help prevent irritation. You can even try using a humidifier to add more moisture to your environment.
Limit Showers and Baths
To help support skin that feels dry, try to limit shower time to 10 minutes or less and avoid bathing more than once per day. It may also be helpful to shower with warm (not hot) water in order to help reduce the drying effects of everyday bathing. Using a gentle, fragrance-free foaming body wash can also help. Afterward, pat your skin dry and immediately apply moisturiser.
Support Your Skin Barrier
A strong skin barrier is vital for achieving healthy-looking skin and treating dryness. Keeping your skin moist with plenty of nourishing moisturisers, creams and ointments is one effective way to help to maintain your skin’s barrier function. Seek out moisturisers and other skincare products that are formulated with ceramides to help maintain your skin barrier and give dry and dehydrated skin the support it needs. Ceramides make up approximately 50% of the skin’s lipids that help form your natural skin barrier. Age and sun damage reduce their effectiveness. Ceramides are an important part of any skincare routine to replenish your skin barrier.
Choose Hydrating Skincare Products
Choose hydrating cleansers and moisturisers specially formulated for dry or dehydrated skin. Ideally, your cleanser should be gentle, fragrance-free, and alcohol-free. It should be formulated to address the needs of your skin type without disrupting your skin’s natural barrier. When choosing the best cream for dry or dehydrated skin, look for beneficial ingredients like hyaluronic, glycerin, shea butter and petrolatum (Vaseline). Moisturise as needed throughout the day to help seal in water.
Schedule a Professional Consultation
If your dry skin is not resolving with basic over-the-counter dry skincare, schedule an appointment with a dermatologist for additional help. This may include a prescription medication for dry skin care, or a recommendation of lifestyle changes to help alleviate your skin discomfort.
Dry Skin & Dry Dehydrated Skin Treatment
You can’t really cure dry skin, but you can properly manage it and improve its appearance. First, you’ll want to replace the oils that dry skin fails to make itself. You will also want to avoid foaming cleansers and cleansing bars, instead, use cleansing oils, milk/cream cleansers or cleansing balms that will inject moisture as it cleanses. Dry skin friendly ingredients to choose from include:
Skin Barrier Repairing Ingredients:
Ceramides – Major skin barrier component. Ideal for dry and sensitive skin. Prevents trans epidermal water loss (TEWL), promotes production of natural ceramides.
Natural Moisturizing Factors (NMF) – Include amino acids, lactic acid, and urea. Hydrate the skin and stimulate ceramide function.
Fatty acids – Include linoleic acid, linolenic acid, stearic acid. Fatty acids are lipids and form an important part of the skin’s topmost structure. They help lock in moisture. When used in skincare, they help provide hydration and help to thicken and enrich products. Fatty acids naturally found in the top most layer of the skin and play an important role in barrier function and keeping the skin hydrated.
Niacinamide – An antioxidant vitamin also known as Vitamin B3. Hydrates and stimulates ceramide formation.
Recommendations: The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + Phytoceramides, Kravebeauty The Great Barrier Relief, elta MD Barrier Renewal Complex.
Triple Action Moisturisers:
Choose moisturizers that contain humectants, emollients and occlusives.
Humectants – Hydrate the skin by drawing water from the deepest skin layers and the air to the skin’s surface. Examples include hyaluronic acid, glycerin, lactic acid, urea, snail mucin.
Emollients – Fill the gaps between skin cells which is why it feels smooth to the touch. Include cocoa butter, shea butter, jojoba oil, colloidal oatmeal, squalene.
Occlusives – Form a protective barrier on the skin surface to prevent water loss. This barrier allows water to go from the deep layers of the skin to the surface without evaporating. Examples include petrolatum (Vaseline), bees wax, silicones, lanolin, dimethicone.
Recommendations: Cerave Moisturizing Cream, No 7 Lift & Luminate Triple Action Day Cream, L’Oréal Age Perfect Moisturizer/Hydrant.
Sunscreen:
Sun protection remains a cornerstone of care. Dry skin needs a sunscreen of at least SPF 30 that not only protects from UVA and UVB rays but also provides hydration and nourishment. Always perform a patch test before full application to ensure the sunscreen doesn’t cause any adverse reactions on your dry skin.
Hydrating – opt for a sunscreen with hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin to combat dryness without leaving a heavy or greasy feeling on the skin.
Creamy Formulas – Choose creams or lotions over sprays and gels, as they tend to be more moisturising and beneficial for dry skin.
Fragrance-Free – Fragrance can irritate dry skin, so opt for a sunscreen labelled as fragrance-free to avoid potential issues.
Non-Comedogenic – Pick a non-comedogenic sunscreen to prevent clogging pores and aggravating dry skin conditions.
Recommendations: Bioderma Photoderm Lait Ultra, La Roche-Posay Anthelios Dermo-Pediatrics Hydrating Lotion, Bondi Sands Fragrance Free Daily Sunscreen Face Lotion.
Oily Dehydrated Skin Treatment
Dehydrated oily skin is when oily skin is lacking water in the uppermost layer of the skin. Oily skin needs balance in order to not produce too much oil. People with oily skin tend to use stripping cleansers. They over cleanse, over exfoliate, or don’t usually use enough moisturizer to balance things out and replace the lost water content. Dehydration then kicks your pores into overdrive, triggering even more sebum production. Treating oily dehydrated skin is all about moderation, opting for products that aren’t too thick and don’t have too high a concentration.
Hydrating Cleanser:
Cleansing is the first step in any good oily skin routine. Use gentle, non-drying foam or gel cleansers formulated specifically for oily skin. Look for cleansers with hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid, aloe vera, glycerin, ceramides formulated to deeply cleanse and remove oil without disrupting the skin’s protective barrier. People with oily dehydrated skin should cleanse twice daily (morning and night) and can also benefit from using a hydrating alcohol-free toner post-cleanse to help remove any leftover residue on the skin.
Recommendations: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Daily Gel-Cream Exfoliating Cleanser, Cerave Hydrating Facial Cleanser, Simple Kind to Skin Vital Vitamin Cleanser.
Mild Exfoliant:
Regular exfoliation can help your skin control oil production and clear out your pores, as well as improve overall skin texture. Consider incorporating a hydrating AHA like Lactic acid or a milder AHA like mandelic acid to your skincare routine once a week to remove dead and dehydrated skin cells and also prevent clogged pores.
Recommendations: Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 6% Mandelic Acid + 2% Lactic Acid Liquid Exfoliant, Isispharma Glyco A Soft peeling, The Inkey List Mandelic Acid Treatment.
Moisturiser:
For oily dehydrated skin, incorporating a moisturiser is essential to maintain a healthy skin balance. Use a moisturiser that contains humectants like hyaluronic acid, aloe vera, glycerin, snail mucin. Oily dehydrated skin also benefits from using light-weight, oil-free products. Lotions, serums, and gel creams are great textures for this skin type, providing effective hydration without causing congestion.
Recommendations: Simple Hydrating Light Moisturiser, Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer,Cerave Ultra-Light Moisturizing Gel.
Sunscreen:
Don’t forget to put on sunscreen. Regardless of the time of year, even on cloudy days, protect your skin from harmful UV rays. Although sunscreen should not substitute for moisturiser, combine two steps into one by using a lightweight moisturiser already formulated with SPF.
Recommendations: Olay Renegerist Mineral Sunscreen, elta MD UV Clear Sunscreen SPF 46, Nivea Super Water Gel.
Conclusion
Understanding and differentiating between dry vs dehydrated skin allows for more informed skincare choices. A conscientious skincare regimen, coupled with lifestyle considerations, plays a fundamental role in addressing these conditions, enhancing skin health, and preventing long-term complications. For tailored tailored treatment plans and to address underlying health concerns contributing to skin dryness and dehydration seek a dermatological consultation.
