IS MY SKIN DRY OR DEHYDRATED?

Living in the North we face a variety of different weather conditions and a caleidoscope of skin conditions. In Estonian it is common to say that the skin is dry. There is one simple and short word for that – KUIV. Everybody here says their skin is KUIV in the winter and half of the population claims the same in the summer. We are overstepping dehydration as the word for it is really clumsy, long and confusing – NIISKUSVAENE. In the beginning it can be tricky to understand the difference for everybody, not only the 1,2 million people who live here and speak a mysterious fairy language?

Dehydrated skin lacks water and therefore requires hydration.
Dry skin lacks oil and needs to be moisturized.

Dehydrated skin (lacks water) looks dull, feels tight and can often be sensitive. Sometimes it may over produce oil to compensate and this results in breakouts. The pores can be both – large and small. Dehydrated skin absorbs products very quickly. It affects your make up as well, since the skin absorbs water from the foundation and can look patchy.
Dry skin (lacks oil) has a rough surface, it can be flaky and can therefore be itchy. The pores are small, skin feels tight. An interesting fact is, that dry skin does not absorb products easily. Skin is more likely to react to products and it can make you feel as if no product is suitable for you.

DEHYDRATION UNCOVERED
Dehydrated Skin – is a skin condition affecting any skin type – including DRY

When your skin is dehydrated piling on thick creams won’t help as the skin needs hydration first. I often meet people who say that no matter how many different oils or oily creams they use, the condition does not change and the roughness or reddening will not disappear. Help is round the corner, as one of the most effective humectants (substances that draw water to the upper layers of the skin) is hyaluronic acid (HA). HA is a naturally occuring compound in body that has a stunning capacity to retain vast amounts of moisture – 1 gram can hold up to six littres of water. In skincare products HA can be used in various molecular weights which allows it to penetrate different layers of skin. In our line 5D Rejuvenating Serum is full of hyaluronic acid – in order to transform overall condition of the skin, work on elasticity, tone and plump up tiny stubborn lines and wrinkles.

Other lovely hydrators are aloe vera (present in almost all products of the D’DIFFERENCE line) honey, alpha hydroxy acids (found in our exfoliators) and algae. Furcellaria lumbricalis is a red algae from the Baltic Sea that has found its rightful place in D’DIFFERENCE 5D Smoothing Serum. Acids and red algae work in synergy in 5D Firming Faceglow and Firming Bodyglow Peels, that make skin surface so smooth and a complexion so flawless that even people who cannot be blamed for envy, can turn a bit green when seeing you next time?. All of the above mentioned hydrators can be recommended for mature skin and all except acids and honey are highly recommended for sensitive skin.

Unfortunately, finding a lovely humectant for your skin is not the final answer – you will need to make sure that there is something to trap or seal it in. It can be silicones in make up products or silk proteins. This is the D’DIFFERENCE solution. Besides trapping water, they provide a lovely silky and smooth feeling on top of the skin.

And what about drinking a lot of water? There are myths telling you that skincare products do not help with hydration and are too expensive anyway. Drinking water solves all problems and helps with achieving a glowing complexion. Well, your dermis is vascularized, so it gets plenty of water. Your epidermis is not vascularized, so deeper skin layers are its only water source. Drinking tons of water won’t bring it to your epidermis, sorry…

DRYNESS UNCOVERED
Dry Skin – skin type but can be a temporary skin condition

If you’re prone to dry, rough, uneven and flaky skin, that’s a sure sign that your skin isn’t producing enough lipids to form a protective barrier, making it unable to lock in moisture. That is where moisturisers come in. They help to trap the natural oils and lipids on the surface of your skin, prevent water from evaporating, and maintain a healthy moisture balance. Look for moisturisers that use the word nourishing in product descriptions.

When picking out a moisturiser, consider oils extracted from sweet almond, sunflower and and jojoba, which are known not only for their gentle moisturizing and nourishing properties but also for countering signs of ageing and free radical damage. Those wonderful oils are what we use in all the creams we make for women. Men´s line has grapeseed oil in creams, rich in antioxidants, but with a much lighter texture. For men hydration is often the key to smooth skin and healthy complexion. Shea butter and cocoa butter are also widely used. In D´DIFFERENCE 4D Nourishing Night Cream unsaturated fatty acids from spent grain wax, shea butter and argan oil provide immediate relief against irritation and itching, resulting in truly soothed and flawless skin. Niacinamide rebalances uneven skin tone and reduces sensitivity. It is a beautiful product for dry and flaky skin.

WHAT ABOUT OILY and ACNE-PRONE SKIN?

Oily skin can be a sign of dehydration. Please, please do not lose hydrators in your skincare routine, once you see breakouts occuring more often or when your forhead shines like a mirror in the evening. Once you skip serums and/or emulsions and end up with cleansers only, your skin can respond by producing excess oil.  This reaction can overwhelm the pores and cause congestion and breakouts. It will also cause your skin to age faster.

Semantics aside, we need to understand that healthy skin needs both water and oil and that is why we at D’DIFFERENCE believe in layering – watery layers for hydration (toners and serums), emulsions and creams for balanced hydration and moisturization. The last mentioned ones are all packed with silk proteins to trap all the goodies in.

My golden rule that applies for making both skin conditions better:
Stay away from mineral oil (paraffinum liquidum), silicones, glycerin and propylene glycol in skincare which will make a dehydrated skin worse and dry skin scream for help.

Carmen Kibur, the brand manager of D’DIFFERENCE