Understanding Dryness and Dehydration: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments

Causes and Symptoms of Dryness

Dryness in the skin can be caused by a multitude of skin conditions, external and internal factors, such as the environment, genetics, or diet, and is commonly mistaken as having a lack of water or hydration within the skin. Dryness is actually a lack of lipids, or healthy oil flow within the skin, contributing to barrier dysfunction, where that dryness can contribute to:

  • higher rates of flaking in the skin
  • tightness
  • itchiness
  • and sometimes irritation and discomfort
  • overall contributing to dullness in the skin, which may also increase the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Lipid-Dry Skin

A lipid-dry skin has insufficient amounts of oils in the skin and therefore would benefit from products rich in oils, such as the ASAP Cream to Oil Cleanser, Dermatonics Nourishing Face Oil, or the ASAP B Complex (which helps to increase production of oils for healthy barriers), to name a few. Furthermore, as a result of this dysregulation of oils within our uppermost layer of skin, we can consequently see dehydration (this time the water aspect) occurring also, as usually the natural oils sitting in our skin help to keep water nicely locked in.

Dehydration in the Skin

Dehydration (a lack of water) in the skin can be caused by very hot or cold climates, prolonged heating or air conditioning, smoking and vaping, exposure to high temperatures like saunas, spas, or even a long-haul flight, which can decrease water levels significantly.

Addressing dehydration could be accomplished with internal water intake of 2–3 litres a day, in-clinic treatments, and the right skin products, such as the Dermatonics Hyaluronic Acid, which helps to attract and bind water within itself and keep water where it is needed in the skin, or Dermaviduals Oleogel, which acts as an occlusive to lock in water by creating a thin layer over the skin’s surface.

Treatments at My Face Place

My Face Place offers a range of treatments that aim to restore and revive the skin when either dryness is more seasonal or has been an ongoing issue for clients. Our first goal is to restore the barrier through treatments such as:

  • LED, helping to energise and replenish cells for optimal functioning.
  • Sonophoresis, helping to deliver the right ingredients much deeper into the skin to help in revitalising and hydrating.
  • Chemical peels, which assist in rapid epidermal (skin cell) turnover, allowing the more uniform production of those skin cells (in shape and size), resulting in fewer gaps throughout the skin layers, less water evaporation, and thus greater levels of hydration.

Together with our treatments and your home care, we can combat dry or dehydrated skin.