Know your skin: Dehydrated or dry skin?

Flaky, itchy or tight skin? If you’re experiencing these symptoms, it could be because your skin is dry or dehydrated. But what’s the difference? Although these terms are sometimes used interchangeably, there are differences. Read below to see which you may have and how you can give your skin an immediate fix!

There’s a big difference between dry and dehydrated skin, yet both tend to feel the same—just plain dry. However, when your skin feels dry you may actually just be dehydrated and in need of water. Dryness refers to a skin type, while dehydration refers to a skin condition.

Dry Skin 

What Is It:
Dry skin is a skin type (as opposed to dehydrated skin which is a skin condition, more on that in a bit) like oily, combo, or sensitive. It’s caused by ageing, hormones, or genetics, and basically it just means that your skin doesn’t produce enough oil.

How to Look after It:
You can look after dry skin by incorporating oil rich skin care into your routine, and avoiding anything too harsh or stripping. Dry skin struggles to produce oil, but no matter. A rich, replenishing face oil will make up for what you’re skin’s not naturally producing, and subbing in a nourishing oil cleanser can also work magic on dry faces.

Dehydrated Skin

What Is It:
Dehydrated skin is a skin condition. It’s caused by external factors (climate, over exfoliation, poor nutrition, UV rays.) If your skin is dehydrated you will probably notice your skin feeling tight, flaky, and your lines will look more prominent. But unlike dry skin, you’re not immune to shine or oiliness, so you could also be dealing with congestion and breakouts.

How to Look after It:
While dry skin wants oil, dehydrated skin wants water. Inside and out! So, up your water intake, and give a hydrating serum a go. You’ll want to look for ingredients like hyaluronic acid or glycerin, and you’ll definitely want to apply it to damp skin, not dry to get the best results.

Can Oily Skin be Dehydrated?

Dehydration affects all skin types, even oily skin. If you are constantly battling shine it may not seem like your skin is dehydrated but it is possible for skin to have high oil levels even while it is lacking in water. Skin may even become extra oily in dehydrated skin as low moisture levels can even cause skin to produce excess oil.