Dry Skin vs. Dehydrated Skin: Key Differences Explained

Date :02 November 2022

New patients frequently inform me that they have "dehydrated skin," not "dry skin," despite their suffering. Therefore, I'm going to explore this claim further and dispel several myths in my blog post.

Let's start by examining the cellular factors that contribute to dry skin. Therefore, an inadequate generation of natural lipids (oils) and/or water-holding compounds, in our skin may be the root cause of dry skin. Because of this, our skin loses too much water through (invisible) evaporation and is unable to retain enough of its natural water content. We call this constant evaporation of water from our skin "perspiration insensible" (also known as TEWL, transepidermal water loss). This is invisible, as opposed to sweating, as the name suggests.

However, excessive water evaporation occurs when the skin's barrier function is compromised, for instance when there aren't enough natural lipids and/or water-holding molecules present. The skin becomes dry, Skin tightening in India as a result of this pathologically elevated water evaporation, indicating that the stratum conium’s water content is too low.

Several precautions must be taken if you are suffering from acne. Go and see a dermatologist to know the right cause. They may ask some life style and health related questions to identify the problem. Avoid rubbing, picking, squeezing or touching the zits or pimples, this can lead to permanent scars or dark blotches on the skin. Avoid using rough scrub pads. Wash your face daily, at least twice with a gentle and mild cleanser. Don’t forget to wash your face and remove sweat after every intensive physical activity.

You can see that the categories "dry" and "dehydrated" skin cannot actually be distinguished because the stratum conium’s water content and the skin's lipid content are intertwined.

Dehydration of the skin due to excessive washing is an example of an extrinsically generated drop in water content in the stratum conium. Dry skin, on the other hand, may refer to a genetic predisposition for dry skin (for example, in individuals with a tendency for eczema). The reduction in the stratum corneum water content—what causes the painful sensation of dry or dehydrated skin—is the final result in each scenario. Our skin feels dry and dehydrated, especially when the water level of the horny layer drops below 10%.

But even in the case of extrinsically "dehydrated" skin brought on by excessive cleansing, the mechanism is similar to that of hereditary dry skin brought on by a deficiency in lipids. The removal of the skin's lipids during cleansing damages the barrier function of the skin increased water evaporation and decreased moisture levels in the skin's kinky layer.

In conclusion, there is no precise distinction between "dry" and "dehydrated" skin that is widely accepted. Dermatologists sometimes confuse "dry" with "dehydrated" skin due to the interconnectivity of the mechanisms and the difficulty of distinctly separating them.

I really prefer to categorize the skin into the following five skin types rather than discriminating between "dry" and "dehydrated" skin, which is very simplistic and therefore not very helpful in daily life. As you can see below, I do have two categories for "dry skin," but the difference between them is whether or not the client also experiences breakouts. The difference between "dry skin without breakouts" and "dry skin with breakouts" necessitates a significantly different skincare regimen, so making this distinction is crucial (the latter is increasingly common, by the way, especially in adult women).

SKIN COMPOSITION:

Average skin
Dry skin
Skin type: combination (typically oily t-zone and dry cheeks).
Clear skin that isn't oily
Dry skin with pimples

Last but not least, it's critical to keep in mind that skin that feels "dry" is not necessarily dry or dehydrated. That's because, as we observe with roseleaf and seborrhea dermatitis, a dry, tight feeling can also be an indication of micro-inflammation. Under these circumstances, rich moisturizers should not be applied because they will just exacerbate the symptoms (although they may feel soothing). The strategy is to address the micro-inflammation rather than "numbing" the discomfort with heavy care (with anti-inflammatory substances, ideally at prescription dosage).

It's better to leave it to a Skin Brightening in India or skin coach to put together a customized skincare routine, especially if you have "dry skin with outbreaks," which is by far the most challenging skin type to take care of.