Winter skin help - dry or dehydrated?

Changing your skincare regime with the seasons is now as commonplace as updating your wardrobe. Winter brings on cold weather, indoor heating and changes in diet and lifestyle which makes deciphering if your skin is dry or dehydrated a struggle.

These two skin types often get mistaken as one and the same. Switching to more nourishing products may help combat dry skin, but dehydrated skin requires a different solution.

Although there are some signs and symptoms that are common between the two skin types it is important to try and differentiate between the two.

Dry Skin is caused by a state of imbalance of oil within the body presenting itself at the stratum corneum (the outer layers of the skin) as dry, rough skin. It is more likely to be a long-term skin type, although it can appear as a shorter-term state by changes in diet and lifestyle.

SIGNS & SYMPTOMS OF DRY SKIN

* Flaky or in severe cases cracked skin
* Dullness and lack of plumpness
* Skin feels tight and taut even when using a rich moisturiser
* More likely to have smaller, tighter pores
* More likely to be sensitive to products or easily aggravated

HELP

* A diet deficient in essential fatty acids may exacerbate dry skin. Ensuring that you are getting the correct ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6 in your diet may help alleviate dry skin. Check with a Naturopath to see if this is the underlying cause.

* Upgrade your moisturiser to one that contains jojoba oil which is considered most similar to our skins own oil, sebum. Try adding pure certified organic (this means it hasn't been bleached or deodorised) jojoba oil to your moisturiser to boost it over winter. We love the one from Australian brand MV Skincare.

* Switch your face wash to a cleansing lotion or oil. This will ensure you are not stripping the skin of the precious protective layer. If your skin feels tight after cleansing, your cleanser is too harsh.

Dehydrated Skin is caused by a lack of water in the body. Our body will use the fluids we consume to ensure larger organs are functioning properly before plumping our skin. Dehydration can accompany other skin types, so is often considered a skin condition rather than a skin type. It is possible to have dry and dehydrated skin (frustrating) or dehydrated and oily skin (confusing). Climate, water intake, medications and products that strip the skin can aggravate dehydrated skin.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF DEHYDRATED SKIN

* Absorbs moisturisers and products quickly. You may feel like you need to reapply moisturiser throughout the day

* Fine lines may seem exaggerated

* Surface of skin may be oily with dryness underneath. Your skin will try to over compensate dehydration by producing more oil.

HELP

* Avoid alcohol and caffeine - these both have a dehydrating effect on the body.

* Check your water intake and ensure you are getting your 2 litres a day. An often-overlooked tip is to make sure you are sipping water throughout the day. If you guzzle down large glasses of water it will go straight through you before benefiting your skin.

* Try incorporating products with naturally derived hyaluronic acid, obtained by the use of bio-synthesis using plant substrates. Hyaluronic acid is reportedly able hold 1000 times its own weight in water, it provides a source of essential moisture and keeps the skin looking plump and moist.

Integrating both sets of help tips may benefit both skin types. But give yourself three months to see the full effects of changes. Increasing your water intake and changing your moisturiser may make a noticeable difference in a few weeks but increasing omega 3 in your diet will take up to three months to see the real benefits.

Imelda Burke is the founder of Content Beauty/Wellbeing, which specialises in emerging results-driven natural & organic beauty brands. Content incorporates a wellbeing and beauty clinic and is regarded as ‘London's leading organic and natural apothecary'.

www.beingcontent.com ; 020 3075 1006

6th December 2011