Dry skin can be caused by many different factors. The key factors are the level of fat in the skin and the status of the skin’s barrier function. Both will determine the rate of transepidermal water loss (TEWL) – that is, the rate at which water evaporates through the skin.
The skin is dynamic and will react to its environment. If you apply products that have a very high oil content and that do not penetrate the skin correctly due to their low quality, it will react by reducing the amount of sebum it produces. This means that if you stop applying the cream, your skin will be and look dry for a few days, while it starts to produce its own sebum again.
It is worth spending a few days with slightly dry skin, to break the confidence that it has acquired in occlusive oils, so we can later apply products that really nourish and properly hydrate the skin. What we call a skin detox.
Diagnosis
There are two types of dry skin: dry lipid and dehydrated. The two are often linked, but are separated here to facilitate diagnosis. Dry lipid:
Mate with minimal oil
Tends to seem boring
Can be rough and flaky
Often easily sensitized
You will feel tense after washing
Reddish patches with visible fine capillaries
Milia appear in the cheek and eye area
Fine lines appear at a young age
Dehydrated:
The skin is tight.
Prone to premature aging
Fine capillaries can be visible
Skin reacts easily to extreme climates
Possible causes
These are some of the factors that may be contributing to Transepidermal Uncontrolled Water Loss (TEWL). Dry lipid:
Fat-free diet and essential fatty acid deficiency
Genetic factors
Using cleaners containing harsh detergents
Alteration in the microflora of the skin that results in a skin barrier that does not function optimally.
Dehydrated:
Not drinking enough water
Diuretic medication
Excessive caffeine or alcohol consumption
Low humidity and artificial atmospheres
Impaired barrier function resulting in increased TEWL
Peeling of the skin with harsh surfactants
Excessive sun exposure
Lifestyle recommendations
Here are some suggestions for lifestyle changes that will have a balancing effect on your skin:
Take an omega-3 supplement with at least 600 mg of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids (DHA and EPA)
Avoid a fat-free diet – try to eat healthy lipids from seeds and nuts
Use a generous amount of moisturizer (the size of a guicant) and make sure it contains absorbable vegetable oils, preferably cold first-drawn organic and not petrochemical oils.
Do not use bar soap on your body or face – find a mild pH balanced shower gel or preferably a cleansing cream, free of sulfates
Minimum exposure to the sun and always with sun protection at all times, even in autumn and winter days
Use products that contain hyaluronic acid
Take a good quality ingestible probiotic and apply a probiotic skincare treatment, containing live strains of beneficial microbes to improve the skin barrier and minimize TEWL through the skin’s surface
