You may have spent your mornings staring at your not-so-glowing face, wondering if your face has been haunted by the winter dryness. Or is it perhaps deep-set dehydration?

Though the two terms are exchanged as casually as tea and dinner. Yet there is a clear line between dry skin and dehydrated skin. distinguishing the two may be more like splitting hairs but understanding them is key to great skincare. After doing our homework and seeking advice from experts, we have drafted a guide for you to be better able to understand dehydrated skin.

What is dry skin?

What causes dry skin? Unlike a dehydrated complexion, you will notice the lack of oil on dry skin which is caused by a lack of adequate biosynthesis of natural lipids and water-holding elements. Dry skin is a result of decreased sebum in your skin layers coupled with a weak skin barrier. This means your skin is struggling to preserve its natural oils and lipid elements. 

This is rather categorised as a skin type than a temporary skin condition. You can identify this by the skin texture as it occurs deep between your skin layers making it appear dry, flaky, cracked, and sometimes a bit leathery. It also lacks elasticity and suppleness which ultimately gives way to wrinkles. 

How to treat dry skin?

Dry skin cannot be fixed. but its appearance can be certainly enhanced by the use of some products in your skincare routine for dry skin. This is done by replacing the oils that dry skin doesn’t naturally make by itself, by integrating nourishing oils into your skincare regime. 

You must avoid all types of cleansers that strip your skin of its natural oils, like foaming and gel-based. It's advised that you use oil-based cleansers that inject moisture into your skin as they cleanse it thoroughly. 

coconut oil and natural botanical oils are the best products for dry textured skin. They are great for peeling away the rough flakiness formed on your skin because of dryness and replacing it with soft pillow skin. Supplements are also of great help, such as those rich in omega-3 fatty acids are good for nourishing dry skin.

What is dehydrated skin?

Then there is dehydrated skin which is a skin condition that anybody can experience. It is natural for combination and oily skin types to get dehydrated. The major difference here lies in the lack of water in your stratum corneum as opposed to the natural oils. water is essential to give your complexion a plump and healthy appearance.

What happens is the surface cells in your skin become deflated which gives way to a network of fine triangular lines. Characteristics of dehydrated skin will be clearly visible to you. You may feel like your face is abnormally tight and as if somebody switched off the bulb from your face. you may notice dark under eyes, dullness, itchiness, wrinkles and fine lines on your skin. 

What are the causes of dehydrated skin?

If one day you just wake up and notice these changes in your complexion, it's mostly because of the change of season. Dehydrated skin is a result of damaged skin barrier, harsh weather conditions, sun damage, stress, changes in weather, and sleep deprivation. 

In this case, you may panic and experiment with different products. but you should be super careful with using anything very strong as it may worsen the issue. Harsh products may work fine initially but gradually deteriorate your skin barrier function. This may indicate that your moisture levels will also go down badly. 

How may you treat dehydrated skin?

Wondering how to take care of dehydrated skin? First and foremost, you must chuck out the face scrubs. All the harsh scrubs with coarse particles must be avoided as these will only exacerbate the problem. Get the best products for dehydrated skin. You may want to look for hydrating serums infused with collagen and hyaluronic acid. Water-based face mists are also great as these replenish the moisture reserves so you can get your shine back. 

As with anything, prevention is key. You must make sure that you are taking in plenty of water; about two to three litres every day is recommended. Water-rich food items like lettuce, cucumber, broccoli, avocado, and watermelon must also be consumed regularly to keep your skin hydrated. Similarly, you must not drink beverages that suck out the moisture from your skin like coffee and alcohol. 

The environment you are in also plays a great role. In the winter when you turn on the heaters, your skin tends to get dehydrated. For this, it's important that you invest in a humidifier to maintain the humidity levels around you. The same holds for long hot showers, as these also take away the natural hydration from your skin. so, these must also be avoided. 

The Final Verdict

Some skincare concerns are very similar but we often tend to confuse them with each other. Nevertheless, a healthy complexion can only be achieved by treating your skin right and this requires you to identify the skin problem you are experiencing. 

The same is the case with dry skin type which is caused by the lack of oil and dehydration, a conditional state that occurs because your skin is devoid of adequate water. The signs that both issues display are dissimilar so it’s important that you spot the difference between dry and dehydrated skin, to be able to set a proper skincare regime in place.