Why dehydration may be the cause of your skin imbalance and how to fix it
Is your skin feeling less healthy and radiant than usual and you’re having trouble regaining balance?
You may want to turn your attention to the hydration of your skin. Sensitivity, acne, pigmentation and dry rough skin can all be signs of dehydrated skin. And the bottom line is it can really impact on your day-to-day living.
What do we mean by hydrated skin and what causes it to become dehydrated?
When we talk about hydration in the skin, we are referring to a skin condition rather than a skin type (such as ‘dry’) that reflects the amount of water in the skin’s barrier function just below the surface of the skin. It is vital for healthy, radiant skin and is how our skin communicates from the surface to the sebaceous glands below to maintain balance.
A key element that largely determines whether your skin can maintain good hydration and a healthy balance is … no, not how many glasses of water you drink … but our acid mantle!
A thin protective film on the surface of the skin, our acid mantle is made of a layer of oil (or lipids – our skin’s natural fats) and a layer of water (natural amino acids, lactic acid, various sugars and more that are known as our Natural Moisturising Factor or NMF). This creates our skin’s pH and is our main protection against bacteria, pathogens, viruses, environmental pollutants, and also dehydration!
For a simple analogy, think of a glass of water – place it out in the sun, and it won’t be too long before it’s evaporated. Now do the same thing, but instead add oil to the glass of water first. The oil would sit on top, like a barrier, and the water wouldn’t evaporate as the oil layer has provided protection. This is a simple way of thinking how our acid mantle works.
When we have a strong acid mantle, we have a complete layer of oil and the moisture below is locked in. However in a dehydrated skin, there are gaps throughout the acid mantle where we would start to see water being lost from the layers below, known as Trans Epidermal Water Loss (TEWL).
What are the roll-on effects of skin dehydration?
When we have a weakened acid mantle, it’s not just dryness that we will begin to feel … it is literally like opening a Pandora’s box of potential skin issues.
Skin sensitivity – With the acid mantle being the skin’s first line of defence, it not only plays a big role in keeping out allergens and pathogens, but it also ensures anything we put on our skin, such as active ingredients, must first filter through this barrier. This ensures our skin isn’t flooded with a sudden hit of these active ingredients which is likely to send our skin into an inflammatory response, and rather slowly allow the ingredients to reach the cells in a more subtle way.
Skin Communication – The water in the cells play a role in transferring messages to the sebaceous glands. If the skin is dry, a message is sent through the tissues to the sebaceous glands to produce more oil, and vice versa with oily skin. So if messages aren’t getting through as well as they should, then our skin can become more of whatever state it is already in.
Dead cell build-up – In healthy hydrated skin, cells that make their way up to the surface should naturally desquamate off. But when our cells are dry and hardened, they tend to stick together and do not peel off as easily. As new cells are produced and make their way to the surface, they continue to stack on top of each other.
Acne and pigmentation – As the dead cell build-up continues, this can then lead to blockage problems in the hair follicles/pores (the precursor to acne), and well as uneven skin tone as each of these stacked cells has its own store of pigmentation.
Rough texture – Not only due to the build-up, but as cells become dry they tend to shrink & feel rough, tight & flaky. This also creates further gaps in the acid mantle where outside nasties can get in & cause further sensitivities.
Reduces the effectiveness of our skincare products – To initiate real positive change in our skin, we need our concentrated nutritious ingredients to reach the deeper ‘alive’ cells. When skincare products are applied to skin that is dry and lacking moisture, these good ingredients are mopped up by this top layer of ‘dead’ cells instead, and have quite a lot of resistance at getting through to where we want them. As a result, we’re less likely to see the improvements we had hoped for.
Why oils play a vital role in skin hydration and how we can improve it
To increase our skin’s hydration levels we need to work on building the skin’s outer barrier, the acid mantle, by increasing that oil layer which will prevent dehydration and improve our skin’s resilience. These lipids (oils) in our skin can come from the sebaceous glands as well as the membranes of our cells. There are many kinds of lipids but the ones that come from our cell membranes and that are most prevalent and important for the skin, are ceramides, cholesterol and fatty acids. So to increase these lipids, we need to look at what we do both internally and externally.
Internally
A diet rich in essential fatty acids (in particular omega-3) to ensure your cells can produce healthy membranes. Include foods with good quality fats such as avocadoes, salmon, nuts and seeds (love pepitas)!
If you’re not getting the recommended dose for EFAs, you can consider including a supplement such as fish oil (check with your health care provider).
Don’t just drink your water, eat it too! Water-dense foods including watermelon, cucumber, apple, zucchini, pineapple, grapes and loads more can actually hydrate you better by providing your cells with gel water (or structured water) which, according to Gina Bria from the Hydration Foundation, is much more absorbable for our bodies.
Externally
Avoid harsh skincare ingredients, particular those found in foaming cleansers or drying alcohols that may be present in your toner, that are likely to break down the lipids in your skin, affect its pH and weaken the acid mantle.
Include skincare products that support and increase the amount of important lipids (ceramides, cholesterol and fatty acids), which will help to protect your skin’s outer layer and lock in moisture. This is the very reason why we created the Reset Barrier Balm, formulated with key ingredients such as oat oil for its ceramide content, plenty of essential fatty acid-rich plant oils and squalane which is one of the main components of our natural hydrolipidic film (acid mantle) and has a natural affinity to the skin.
Also include products that contain natural humectants (water-binding ingredients) such as aloe, vegetable-based glycerine, hyaluronic acid and honey. Be mindful in dry climates where the moisture in the air is low, as some humectants (particularly synthetic forms) may actually draw the moisture from the deeper layers of your skin to the surface rather than from the air around you – the exact opposite of what we are trying to do!
Layer your water-based ingredients first, followed by oil-based to seal the moisture in.
Use a humidifier to help boost the moisture levels in the air (particularly during the drier months).
Avoid the long hot showers that can dry out the skin and strip it of its natural oils.
Don’t over-exfoliate, particularly if your skin is already dehydrated, as it will increase its sensitivity and be more vulnerable to irritations.
Skin issues or not, building up the skin’s acid mantle and barrier will always benefit the appearance and health of your skin. Protecting the skin against all sorts of environmental stressors and irritants, a strong skin barrier will be more resilient, hydrated, balanced and as a result radiant, letting you get on with whatever it is that sets your soul on fire!
References
The concept of the acid mantle of the skin: its relevance for the choice of skin cleansers – https://web.archive.org/web/20110301151916/http://www.sebamed.com/fileadmin/user_upload/pdf/Studien/Saeuremantelkonzept/1.05.pdf
Skin Barrier Function – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2843412/
The Human Skin Barrier Is Organized as Stacked Bilayers of Fully Extended Ceramides with Cholesterol Molecules Associated with the Ceramide Sphingoid Moiety - https://www.jidonline.org/article/S0022-202X(15)35878-4/fulltext
Epidermal surface lipids - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2835894/
Lipids and barrier function of the skin - https://www.medicaljournals.se/acta/download/10.1080/000155500750042790/
Understanding the role of natural moisturizing factor in skin hydration - http://practicaldermatology.com/2012/07/understanding-the-role-of-natural-moisturizing-factor-in-skin-hydration
Epidermal lipids and the formation of the barrier of the skin - http://www.scientificspectator.com/documents/personal%20care%20spectator/Epidermal%20Lipids%20and%20Formation%20of%20the%20Barrier%20of%20the%20Skin.pdf
The Hydration Foundation - https://www.hydrationfoundation.org/
Glycerin may help skin disease, study finds - https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/12/031203075525.htm
Dry skin: https://indianapublicmedia.org/amomentofscience/dry-skin/