Let’s Make Dehydrated Skin a Thing of the Past
Welcome back to another informal article! Where we provide as much information as you need to be educated on your skin condition, or concern, and the modalities to help manage it. Empowering you to make the best informed decisions toward your skin goals!
Before we dive right in of how to best address dehydrated skin, let’s first define what “dehydrated skin” is and how it is different from “dry skin”, because the two are often confused as being the same thing! (Even our graphic designer was convinced they were the same before we started writing this article!).
We'll start with dry skin:
Dry skin is caused by lack of oil (sebum) within the skin. It’s usually a genetic skin type and it’s permanent. Symptoms include: skin feels rough, flaky, or scaly, the skin may crack, feel tight (especially in cold weather/environments), the pores are usually small and less visible, and the skin’s complexion appears dull and lacks its natural shine.
Moving on to dehydrated skin:
Dehydrated skin is caused by lack of water within the skin. It can affect any skin type and is a skin condition that is temporary. Symptoms include: skin feels tight (even when there may be oil in the area), skin appears dull and tired, fine “surface lines” or crepey texture appear but seemingly disappear when skin becomes rehydrated, the skin may feel sensitive or itchy.
You can see how the two conditions can seemingly appear the same because some of the symptoms are similar, but the cause is very different. Now that we have clarified the difference of the two, let’s move on to discover what may be causing dehydrated skin!
External (Environmental) Factors:
You know those really dry summer days, or those dry winter days, where it seems moisture in the air has evaporated into oblivion? If the weather and/or climate has dryness in the atmosphere (whether it’s really cold or really hot), you’re guaranteed to have water being pulled from the skin. Living in freezing cold, or exhausting hot, climates may not be ideal if you’re prone to dehydrated skin.
Home and office spaces that have air-conditioners lowers humidity and produce the same issue. Sitting within the dry environment for hours can cause water loss within the skin.
And we know that summer is just around the corner, and you want to spend every day at the beach (trust us, we do too!). But excessive sun exposure can reduce the skin’s ability to hold moisture with UV rays damaging the skin barrier.
Lastly, those cheap skin care products you’ve been purchasing from Woolworths or Coles, they’re probably creating the problem in the first place. Harsh skin care can cause lack of water retention. Low quality ingredients, over cleansing, alcohol-heavy toners, or strong exfoliants, strip the skin’s protective barrier.
Internal (Bodily) Factors:
Are you drinking your 2-3L of water each day? If we’re not drinking enough water, it can make it harder for the skin to stay hydrated.
Now…if you’re not drinking enough water…what are you drinking? We tend to forget the everyday consumptions (such as caffeine and salty foods), or the weekend/celebration beverages (alcohol), that affect our skin hydration levels. Most of these heavily processed foods will dehydrate your skin faster.
Unfortunately, if you are taking certain prescription medications such as diuretics, acne medications, and antihistamines, these can cause skin dehydration. Increasing your water intake is recommended with this circumstance.
And sometimes, even a shift in hormones can cause lack of hydration. Changes and dysregulation with estrogen, testosterone, and cortisol, are the most common ones.
Modalities we offer:
When one or more of these factors play into the cause of dehydrated skin, the skin barrier can become compromised. It can weaken the lipid barrier causing water to evaporate faster (called “transepidermal water loss”). There may be an underlying skin condition producing the lack of water retention such as eczema, psoriasis, or dermatitis.
Below are some treatments that we offer that can help with the lack of hydration within the skin. However, we always do a thorough skin consultation before progressing to performing treatments and procedures.
We always emphasize on our consultations because we know your time is valuable and the last thing we want to do is “guess” or “estimate” which procedure would work best for your skin. If we jump straight in with the treatment, only to realise a couple of weeks later that it made the condition worse, we’d be wasting your time to come in again with another treatment.
Within the consultation, we go through the ins and outs of your life that include your lifestyle, work, exercise frequency, and your diet. The more we know about you, the closer we can get to determining what might be causing the condition and address it at the root level.
You can book through this link. BOOK NOW.
Skin Treatments:
Hydrafacial Syndeo
This is our most popular superficial non-invasive treatment that has multiple steps that cleanses, exfoliates, extracts impurities, and infuses hydrating serums (with optional boosters, LED, lymphatic drainage). Because Hydrafacial is gentle, many skin types tolerate the procedure.
For a great article to read all about the Hydrafacial Syndeo, click here!
Enerpeel Chemical Peels
Our controlled acid chemical peels (with various depths according to your skin type, and the current state of your condition: barrier-compromised skin etc.), stimulate remodelling and allow better absorption of actives. By exfoliating surface dead skin and improving the turnover and health of the skin, it can enable better penetration and effectiveness of hydrating and barrier-repairing products. It also increases natural hyaluronic acid production.
For more information on our Enerpeel Chemical Peels, click here!
Procell Microchanneling
The technique used in this treatment helps deliver active serums deeper into the skin via microchannels. The hydrating agents reach more deeply, improving hydration and skin function. Again, performing this procedure will depend on the compatibility with your skin and your skin’s current state of inflammation.
To read more about Procell Microchanneling, click here!
Cosmetic Treatments:
Rejuran
Some of our treatments work from within once injected. Rejuran consists of bio-active DNA molecules that stimulate regeneration and repair damaged skin while reducing unwanted inflammation. Rejuran not only addresses lack of hydration, but loss of elasticity, uneven and dull skin tone, fine lines, oil production, and more!
For a full informed spiel on Rejuarn, click here!
Bio-Remodelling
Bio-Remodelling is a Hyaluronic Acid injection treatment that penetrates below the surface barrier and reaches the deeper layers of the skin that superficial treatments can’t. These treatments may be best if your dehydrated skin is quite severe.
Click here to read more about the Bio-Remodelling treatment!
For Hyaluronic Acid injectable treatments that may suit your skin condition, it’s best for you to come in for consultation with one of our nurses.
Custom Skincare Serums:
Of course, treatments within the clinic are null and void if you don’t keep a consistent skin care routine in between treatments. Just like continuing to eat unhealthy will compromise and hinder your fitness goals. We will provide a specific selection of skincare that you can add into your home routine so that you achieve your skin goals as efficiently as possible and making your skin condition much more managable in the foreseeable future.
Depending how severe your dehydrated skin is, we may suggest multiple modalities within your skin program plan, and advise certain supplements that will enhance your results if you can’t get them naturally through your diet.
We hope this article has helped with informing you about dehydrated skin condition. Even if this article didn’t completely apply to you, please share it with someone who may benefit from it. The more we keep each other educated and updated with the latest information and treatments, the more we’ll live a connected, belonging, and peaceful life. Have a great day!