Dehydrated Skin: What You Need to Know

Take A Closer Look: Is Your Skin Dry or Dehydrated?

We’ve all been there: the dreaded itch of dry skin. The rough redness, flaky patches, and tightness that never seems to go away completely. It’s just plain uncomfortable. And, in time, it can lead to continued skin problems such as wrinkles on your face, neck, and chest. Yes, you read that right, dry skin can lead to wrinkles. But did you know the “dryness” you feel might not be dry skin at all? In fact it could be dehydrated skin. Often what we consider to be dry skin is really dehydrated skin, and while they might feel the same, the course of treatment is vastly different. You might accidentally be making your skin problems worse if you’re not correctly treating your skin!

But don’t worry, we’re here to help. Keep reading to learn more about the difference between dry skin and dehydrated skin along with the proper way to treat each so you can avoid damaging your skin, or causing wrinkles, down the line.

The Science of Your Skin

The topmost layer of your skin (the stratum corneum) includes a mix of oily lipids (fats) and waxes. This oily layer is made up of sebum and sweat and, among other things, serves to keep moisture in your skin.

When the oily layer is damaged or doesn’t function properly, moisture can escape. This results in the dry or dehydrated skin. At its essence, these two maladies are both caused by inadequate levels of moisture. The difference between the two (dry vs. dehydrated skin) is how the protective layer is damaged and why it isn’t functioning as it should. To help you understand each condition better, we’ll examine both in detail and then take a closer look at the best treatment options. But first, let’s turn our attention to dry skin.

 

The Difference Between Dry and Dehydrated Skin

Skin is your body’s largest organ, and arguably one of the most important for your health. Your skin helps protect your organs and body from toxic pollutants, bacteria, and general irritants that could cause harm. Of the multiple layers that comprise this vital organ, the topmost layer of your skin (the stratum corneum) includes a mix of oily lipids (fats) and waxes. This oily layer is made up of sebum and sweat and, among other things, serves to keep moisture in your skin. A lack of oil in this section of your skin will lead to the itchy and tight feeling that makes up both dry and dehydrated skin.

If the top layer of skin is damaged or doesn’t function properly, moisture can evaporate. This results in the dry or dehydrated skin. At the most basic level, then, dry and dehydrated skin are both caused by a lack of moisture. The crucial difference is the kind of moisture missing in this layer. To simplify: dry skin is a lack of essential oil in the skin whereas dehydrated skin is a lack of water.

Since both conditions result in similar symptoms, it is imperative you know the root of the problem and how to help alleviate, or treat, the signs. To help you understand each condition better, we will examine both in detail and then take a closer look at the best treatment options. To begin, let’s turn our attention to dry skin.

The Facts About Dry Skin

Why has my skin gone dry?

Dry skin is caused by an internal imbalance that causes the oily protective layer to malfunction. This internal imbalance is often genetic and is most often caused by such things as an underactive thyroid or imbalanced hormone levels. The internal imbalance interferes with the production of the natural oils that protect the skin and help it retain moisture.

All of this means dry skin results from a lack of oil. And because the internal imbalance is genetic, it can be treated but never cured completely. To help you visualize this, think of the oils on your skin like the lid on a pot of water. When the pot of water is boiling, the lid keeps the steam from escaping into the air. Now imagine that the lid has some holes in it. What happens to the steam? It escapes.

Again, to help you visualize dry skin, let’s imagine your skin is like a wooden surface. As the wood (your skin) dries out, the moisture withdraws and causes a dull or even cracked surface. If you wipe down the wood with water, it might temporarily appear restored, but the wood would quickly dry out once more. Instead, you need to use specialized varnish (oils) to replenish and restore the wood back to its healthy state. Excess water in this scenario, similar to dehydrated skin, can have an inverse effect and cause more damage by stripping your skin of the oils it needs to stay healthy. This could lead to your skin becoming dry as well as dehydrated. Not to say water isn’t a crucial step in keeping your skin healthy!  

That’s what is happening when you suffer from dry skin. The only way to “fix” the problem is a temporary one: ‘cover’ the holes with creams and lotions to help the moisture stay where it belongs—in your skin.

Dry skin can also be referred to as atopic dermatitis, ichthyosis, or eczema during a diagnosis of more severe cases. It’s important to remember that genetics is not the only factor when it comes to dry skin. Many external causes can also contribute to this condition. 

External causes of dry skin:

• Chemical interferences such as detergent or soap; Similar to an allergic reaction, some chemicals found in detergent and soaps can contribute to drying out the oils needed to keep your skin healthy.
• Hot showers: If you like to take long steamy showers, watch out! Prolonged and frequent exposure to the steam of a hot shower can dry out your skin.
• Humidity: Living in a climate where the winters are dry and the moisture in the air fluctuates can factor into the way your skin produces necessary oils.

 How to treat dry skin

While conditions such as atopic dermatitis are often genetic, and therefore lifelong conditions, it can be treated, and discomfort alleviated, with the proper care. The best way to do this is to use a product that acts as a substitute for the body’s natural oils. But there are so many products on the market today, which one is right for your skin?

We recommend an antioxidant-rich, oil-based lotion. This will help nourish dry skin and act as a barrier that keeps moisture from escaping. When that moisture is retained, your skin will feel softer and more supple. Also, an oil-based lotion can help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, because the skin plumps up with retained moisture. So you get two treatments for the price of one: you’ll help your skin keep moisture which will, in turn, help smooth out those pesky wrinkles.

To make the most of these oil-based lotions, replace any harsh, stripping cleansers with a gentle soap-free cleanser. Ideally, you should use an exfoliant with glycolic and lactic acids. These types of cleansers are much gentler than those with an alcohol-based formula. Not sure which brand to buy? SiO Beauty makes one of the best gentle cleansers for the décolleté. Its unique formula can help repair dry skin and the wrinkles that can result. This will give your skin the opportunity to produce its own natural oils.

Here’s a simple cleansing routine to help you treat dry skin:

1. Wash your face at night with cool or lukewarm water.
2. Use a gentle cleanser like SiO Beauty’s Décolleté Cleansing Discs. Be mindful not to over exfoliate your skin, which could result in further damage to the outermost layer.
3. Apply an oil-based lotion to hydrate and repair your skin overnight.
4. In the morning, rinse with cool water but don’t wash.

 This simple routine will help your skin retain the natural oils produced while you get some much-needed beauty sleep.

The Facts About Dehydrated Skin

What are the signs of dehydrated skin?

Dehydrated skin, on the other hand, results from an environmental lack of hydration (rather than genetic oil diminishment). This means your skin lacks the water it needs to remain healthy, resulting in an oily, sensitive, or dull skin tone. Your skin may contain plenty of oil, but there’s no water underneath to keep things balanced. To compensate for the lack of moisture, your skin may overproduce oil. As a result, your skin can feel dry and oily at the same time. Weird, right? This overproduction of oil can result in clogged pores, breakouts, irritation, dry patches, and, yes, those dreaded wrinkles.

In the real world, dehydrated skin is caused mostly by external factors such as sun exposure, soaps, cosmetics, and diet. The good news is that because the dehydrated skin isn’t caused by internal, genetic factors, it is often easier to treat and solve than dry skin.

How to treat dehydrated skin

The best treatment for dehydrated skin is your diet. The skin is the last organ to receive the water you ingest, so you need to get plenty of it. We’ve all heard the water rule; you should be drinking plenty of water to keep your entire body hydrated. While many subscribe to the 8 cups of water a day rule, the key thing is to do what feels right for your body. We are all a little different, so it’s important to know what right feels like for you! Keep in mind your water intake also comes from the foods you eat, so grab a few extra cucumbers on your next trip to the market.

Another great way to treat dehydrated skin is to protect it from the sun. Vitamin D is essential for good health overall, especially during the gray and gloomy winter months. But you want to be careful with over-exposure. A fast and easy way to do this is by using SPF 15 or higher any time you plan to be outdoors. This has the added benefit of helping you protect yourself from medical conditions such as skin cancer.

For a topical solution to your dehydrated skin, apply a moisturizer immediately after your shower to minimize water loss. To treat dehydrated skin throughout the day, first, use a hydrating lotion to introduce water into the skin. Then top it off with a moisturizer to lock the water in place.

A Hydrator vs. Moisturizer

Keep in mind that people often use the words “hydrator” and “moisturizer” interchangeably. That’s a mistake. A hydrator (or hydrating lotion) adds water to the skin. A moisturizer, on the other hand, creates a barrier on the surface of your skin to keep water from evaporating. So applying a hydrator first, followed by a moisturizer, is the best way to prevent your skin from becoming dehydrated. But sometimes, more treatment methods are necessary.

Sleeping with a running humidifier in the room is another great way to keep moisture in your skin. The humidifier makes the air humid which prevents the moisture in your skin from evaporating overnight.

Additionally, consider taking short, lukewarm showers as long, hot showers can dehydrate your skin.

Once the moisture has been restored to your skin, fine lines and wrinkles on your face, neck, and chest will smooth out and fill in. This happens because the water added back into your skill will fill the spaces between cells and pushes out on the skin from underneath. 

 

SiO Is Here to Help

Diet and topical creams can be an efficient way to treat the wrinkles caused by dry or dehydrated skin.

Put Your Freshest Face Forward

SiO has a range of innovative and effective products to fit many specific facial concerns. With medical-grade silicone, SiO has a collection to address your brow area, eye and smile wrinkles, as well as a total coverage, (non-surgical) “face-lift” pack. SiO’s Facelift pack, a favorite of New Beauty Magazine, protects and smooths your skin in a way that prevents moisture from escaping. SiO seals in hydration and smooths out the skin - 2 ways in which it prevents wrinkles from forming. SiO’s face products are comfortable and smooth to sleep in, and are reusable.

Overnight Décolleté System

For the décolleté — the skin from your collarbones to between your breasts, the best solution is a 24-hour hydration system like SiO Beauty.  

Step one is the SiO Décolleté Cleansing Disc. It lightly exfoliates, cleanses pores, and prepares skin for the healing, wrinkle-smoothing effects of the next two steps.

Step two is the SiO SkinPad. The SkinPad is worn overnight and works in two ways:

1. It provides support to the skin of your cleavage.
2. It creates a breathable microclimate between the pad and your skin.

The support provided by the SkinPad keeps the thin, delicate skin between your breasts from being pushed, pulled, and folded into positions that it was not meant to go. This prevents your skin from getting “creased” or forming wrinkles on your décolleté.

The breathable microclimate mentioned in point two above is a significant part of the SiO SkinPad. That microclimate between the pad and your skin draws moisture to the skin’s surface. This moisture helps restore the natural, youthful beauty of the décolleté, encourages collagen production, and also acts to prevent future wrinkles from forming. It’s a one-two-three punch that you can’t get from other wrinkle treatments. But the healing doesn’t end there.

Step three is the SiO Décolleté Serum. The serum is designed to provide deep, skin-plumping hydration to the décolleté. It also helps to brighten skin tone, protect against environmental damage, and prevent new wrinkles from forming. And unlike other serums, the SiO Décolleté Serum doesn’t require multiple reapplications throughout the day to be effective. Just a small dab spread over the skin of your décolleté first thing in the morning is enough to provide all-day healing and protection.

Along with innovative products, SiO has tips and advice for all of your skincare needs. Whether you’re a beauty diva or just want to take better care of your skin, there’s something for you on the SiO blog where you can learn more about DIY Oatmeal Face Masks, eliminating frown lines naturally, and fixing crepey skin conditions.

Conquer Dry & Dehydrated Skin

So remember not to let the dry and dehydrated skin get you down. You can still have smooth, young-looking skin if you stick to the beauty routine that suits your skin type. The most important thing is to know exactly what is causing the problem so that you can determine the best course of action for you. And for the difficult-to-treat area of your upper chest, use the powerful SiO 24-Hour System (Décolleté Cleansing Discs, SkinPad, and Décolleté Serum) to rejuvenate and protect the décolleté against dry skin, dehydrated skin, and wrinkles. The 24-Hour system acts quickly (with noticeable results in just one night), can be done at home, and doesn’t require time-consuming doctor visits. Best of all, it helps you avoid the expensive, painful, and risky prospect of surgeries, injections, and laser therapies. Don’t “go under the knife.” Try a SiO SkinPad instead!