Causes of dry skin
Dry skin? Who hasn’t had it? The skin of the face is rough and cracked, and unpleasant itching or slight scaling occurs. Also, during the long, cold winter time, many people have to struggle with a brittle skin appearance and dry skin due to the cold and dry heating air.
However, dry skin can have many other causes. You should know them in order to effectively treat the problem and give your complexion a healthy glow again.
A disturbed moisture regulation of the facial skin can be caused by reduced oil production of the sebaceous glands. As a result, independent re-fattening can no longer take place and unpleasantly dry skin develops.
Internal factors
Internal factors can be responsible for this, for example dry facial skin is hereditary in some people. Biological factors also play an important role. For example, it is perfectly normal for facial skin to lose moisture as we age, as sebum and sweat production are reduced and the epidermis also loses more and more of its ability to bind moisture. Even if you are underweight, the regulation of fat and moisture no longer functions normally. The condition of hormone balance is also often reflected in the skin’s appearance, so stress and mental shaping often lead to dryness.
In addition, dry skin can be an indication of an internal problem, such as limited functional abilities of the immune system, as well as internal diseases such as diabetes mellitus, Crohn’s disease, Celiac disease, an underactive thyroid or even a skin disease such as neurodermatitis or psoriasis. However, this does not have to be the case, as dry skin is often healthy and can be easily treated.
External factors
Air temperature and humidity are among the external factors that cause dryness. In winter, the humidity outside is low and the air is cold, while inside the house we receive dry heating air. This can lead to dryness, as well as the excessive UV radiation in summer. Also, wrong products that we supply to our body can often worsen the appearance of our skin. These include malnutrition, excessive consumption of alcohol and nicotine, as well as degreasing soaps, shower gels or lotions and also drying perfumes. If we shower too often, this also destroys the natural skin protection. The use of hormonal contraceptives or certain medicines can be another cause, as can the contact with toxic substances, pathogenic bacteria, fungi or other microorganisms.
Difference dry and dehydrated skin
As you can see, many different factors lead to dry skin. External influences play just as important a role as internal factors.
Dry facial skin does not mean that you have been exposed to the wrong external influences, because a distinction must be made between dry and dehydrated skin. These two terms are often easily confused, and there is a significant difference between them. The first refers to a special skin type which is genetically determined, and the second to a temporary state of dehydration.
In short: dry skin is a skin type and dehydrated skin is a skin condition.
Dry skin
There are basically four different skin types. It is very important to know your skin type. We speak of normal skin type if your skin is pure, fine-pored, insensitive and healthy, and if sebum production and moisture are balanced. You have an oily skin type if you have excessive sebum production, which is reflected in oily shine, large pores and pale, impure skin appearance. A subcategory is mixed skin, where the T-zone is oily and the cheeks are dry. The dry skin type differentiates between oily and dehydrated skin. A reduced sebum production is the reason for low fat content. The skin type with a low moisture content on the other hand lacks the ability to bind moisture. Around 30 percent of the population has this dry skin type, whether it is due to the lack of oil or moisture.
Characteristics of dry skin
You want to know if you have a dry skin? A dry skin type has very fine pores, a lack of greasy shine, a brittle and cracked, sometimes flaky complexion, itching and feelings of tension. If you are a dry skin type, this means that a lack of sebum production is predominant. External influences like stress, harmful environmental influences or wrong cosmetics may however aggravate this condition.
Dehydrated skin
Dehydrated skin has a temporary lack of moisture. The horny layer can no longer bind the water sufficiently, resulting in water loss. The complexion dries out, looks tired and pale, but can also have an oily sheen and form pimples, especially in the mouth area. In addition, one experiences a feeling of tension. This skin condition can affect any of the four skin types described above. Even with an oily skin type, dehydrated skin can temporarily appear, for example due to incorrect or excessive care with unsuitable skin care products.
Treatment of dry skin
If you are looking for skin care tips for dry skin, it is essential that you know the status of your skin. Do you have a dry skin type or is your skin ‘only’ dehydrated? What was the reason for the dehydration of your skin? Depending on the cause, different treatment options are possible.
Skin care products
The skin should be provided with the right moisturizing products as soon as possible. Dry skin, which is genetically predisposed, should be cared for very gently, and cleaned with extremely mild, skin-friendly cleansing products. Peeling for example, should only be used infrequently, otherwise it will irritate and stress the skin too much.
We recommend a rich care product with a high fat or oil content. Above all, it is very important that you never neglect skin care and use a rich cream in your care routine in the morning and evening. A cream has a refatting effect and protects the natural lipid film, so that the skin surface cannot lose any more moisture. The right ingredients, such as hyaluronic acid or aloe vera extract are essential. Unfortunately, not every oily cream is really helpful; it must contain the right oils, active ingredients and good formulations. In classic cosmetics, for example, mineral oils are often found which cover the skin like a film. The skin cannot breathe and continues to dry out. But also natural cosmetics are not always mild and caring. Many natural cosmetic products contain too much alcohol, and thus have an irritating and drying effect.
Highly concentrated serums are also recommended. These have the power to penetrate deep under the skin, and in this way provide a lot of moisture. You can use a serum in your skin care routine before the cream.
These active ingredients help with dry skin
Avoid the preservative paraben in your skin care products. Butylene glycol, for example, can be used at this point. This is an agent with a skin-caring effect, which binds humidity in the air and has an antibacterial effect. Furthermore, a skin care product can contain moisturizing Diglycerin, Sorbitol and natural fats such as Olive Glycerides, which have a deep, rather than a superficial effect. Furthermore, instead of harmful alcohols, Pentylene Glycol can be used as a preservative, which does not dry out but moisturizes. Aloe barbadensis extract also helps with dry skin. This is a mild active ingredient of natural origin, which is extracted from the medicinal plant Aloe Vera. This active ingredient penetrates deep into the pores of the skin, where it develops its intensively regenerating, anti-inflammatory and moisturizing effect. Palmitic is also a fatty acid that prevents water from evaporating on the skin.
Hyaluronic acid
You should never do without the intensive effect of the active ingredient hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid has the power to bind and store a lot of moisture. A further plus point; hyaluronic acid is an anti-aging miracle cure. Konsens, for example, creates complex formulations with various hyaluronic acids, which consist of sodium salt, sodium hyaluronate and tamarind indica seed gum, a healing active ingredient made from the flesh of the tamarind. These combinations support skin renewal, strengthen the skin barrier and ensure that the moisture balance is increased. High-molecular hyaluronan lies protectively over the skin surface and moisturizes, whereas low-molecular hyaluronan is absorbed and ensures that water is stored in the connective tissue. These water cushions in the connective tissue make the complexion look healthier, firmer and plumper. In addition, hyaluronic acid stores the skin’s moisture in the long run. The exact effect and scientific studies on hyaluronic acid can be found here.
If you are looking for an effective serum for dry or dehydrated skin, Konsens Anti-Aging Hyaluronic Serum is an ideal choice. This highly concentrated hyaluronan serum contains high- and low-molecular hyaluronic acids and cares for the skin down to the pores. The result: nourished, radiant, fresh and firm skin.