Why is my skin dehydrated?Any skin type – dry, oily or combination – can be dehydrated (lacking moisture). The effects can be more or less visible, but it is this lack of water that can cause the skin to feel uncomfortable, whether on the face or on the body, especially after showering or bathing. Although the ympotome are similar, the dehydrated skin must be clearly distinguished from the dry skin. These are two different skin problems. Learn more about dry to very dry skin here.
What are the signs of dehydrated skin?
Dehydrated skin commonly manifests as a lack of radiance and skin comfort with sometimes intense and long-lasting feelings of tension.
Skin itches, especially after washing, and may flake. It is an atypical temporary condition that does not necessarily have anything to do with dry skin. This means that an oily skin may also be dehydrated.
What are the reasons for dehydrated skin??
What are the reasons for dehydrated skin?
– Just like the air, water is an essential element of life. – Water makes about 65% of an adult's body weight.
– Thus, a person with a body weight of 70 kg consists of about 49 liters of water, 15% of which is contained in the skin alone. – Water plays an important role in the skin. The skin is a reservoir from which other organs also draw on. It allows an exchange with the environment: water moves from the dermis to the surface. Supplies thereby the different layers by diffusion. – This water flow is called Transepidermal Water Loss (TEWL). The horny layer (the outer layer of the epidermis), naturally protected by the hydrolipid film, throttles the evaporation process. – When this physiological barrier is compromised, the TEWL is accelerated, and so "dries out" the skin from. The water in the dermis can no longer circulate to the erpidermis. The hydrolipid film stops functioning properly.
A variety of factors can trigger dehydration of the skin:
How is water regulated in the skin?
The skin is very sensitive to water deficiency, so it has its own mechanism for hydroregulation (water transport).
1) The water transport in the skin
The skin is 70% water. Nearly 75% sits deep in the dermis where it plays a critical role in skin resistance.
Two factors hydrate the epidermis:
Static water, which is fixed, and dynamic water, that circulates.
Water regulation creates a balance between these two water components, and it alone ensures the physical and functional integrity of the skin. Three main factors contribute to water transport: NMFs (Natural Moisturizing Factors), lipids in the horny layer and aquaporins.
2) NMFs (Natural Moisture Retaining Factors)
NMFs are molecules that can bind water in the horny layer, they are called such humectants. The best known NMFs are urea. Lactic Acid.
Other substances used in cosmetic products with the same properties are glycerin and xylitol.
Water and the function of the skin barrier
The stratum corneum is composed of cells without a nucleus, held together by lipids, also called the cellular kit. The right quality and quantity of these lipids is crucial for the integrity of the horny layer and thus for the protective function of the skin barrier. If these lipids are present in insufficient quantity or quality, the cohesion of the cells can no longer be guaranteed. As a result, evaporation is increased, also called Transepidermal Water Loss (TEWL: perpanic, light and natural evaporation of water in the body). Moisturized skin should be able to retain water, which is why the lipids between the cells in the stratum corneum are so important.
What are aquaporins?
Aquaporins are Water channels through which water is transported in the epidermis. These proteins are produced by the keratinocytes (horn-forming cells) and positioned in their membrane so that water molecules can pass through. This water transport plays an essential role in the skin. The epidermis is not vascularized. All elements necessary for cellular life (mineral salts, vitamins, etc.).) and transported with the blood to the dermis, only reach the skin surface thanks to the aquaporins. Without aquaporins, the epidermis would not be able to "feed" itself. How to distinguish between dry. Dehydrated (dehydrated) skin?
Dehydrated skin is always only a temporary condition that can be reversed with appropriate products.
In the case of dehydrated or. dehydrated skin is only a change in the top layer of the epidermis, which suffers from a lack of water. This lack of water disturbs the barrier function of the skin and causes discomfort.
The dry or very dry skin, however, is permantent. It is a skin type that lacks both water and lipids. Learn more about dry and very dry skin here.