Do I Have Dehydrated Skin?

It could be tough to determine your exact skin type without consulting a dermatologist, which is the reason why many people misdiagnose their skin type. Add to that the fact that your skin is prone to various changes, meaning that you probably won’t have the same skin type for the rest of your life. For example, if you think that you have oily skin because all you see is your shiny face, you might have a dehydrated skin type.

What Exactly is Dehydrated Skin?

First things first, overly or super dry skin is NOT dehydrated skin. Dehydrated skin could be normal, combination, or oily skin type that feels tight due to the lack of water. It is essentially a skin condition in which your skin lacks the right amount of water, but may or may not produce oil. It’s also common for dehydrated skin to produce excess oil to offset the lack of moisture, which is why most people often mistake being dehydrated skin for oily skin. Also, those with oily and/or acne-prone skin have an increased risk of being dehydrated since they usually use harsh ingredients that further dries out their skin.

How to Tell If Your Skin is Dehydrated

The most obvious signs of dehydrated skin are tightness, dullness, rough texture, fine lines, dark undereyes, and increased sensitivity, as well as flaky patches in the more dehydrated areas if you are severely dehydrated. On the other hand, you can be oily and dehydrated at the same time. To determine if you have dehydrated skin, do the following:

• Assess how your skin is feeling. If it’s oily, it will be shiny and greasy, while if it’s dehydrated, it will feel tight and in some cases, also oily.
• Check your pores. If you have oily skin, your pores might be big and clogged, while if you have dehydrated skin, your pores will be smaller and feel tighter.
• Think of how often you moisturize your face. If your skin is oily, you probably don’t moisturize as much or prefer serums and gel moisturizers to avoid making your skin oilier. If you have dehydrated skin, you probably apply moisturizer as often as you can to avoid that feeling of tightness.

Caring for Dehydrated Skin

If you’ve confirmed you have dehydrated skin after doing the checks above, you need to choose the proper products to hydrate your skin and keep it hydrated. Simple is best: use a mild, hypoallergenic cleanser and massage hyaluronic acid serum on your face before you apply your moisturizer. Try the Elixir+ Hyaluronic Acid Night Serum from Kedma Cosmetics Philippines, a super hydrating serum enriched with hyaluronic acid, Dead Sea minerals, and vitamin C. You can likewise use hydrating masks every other day or face oil after applying your hyaluronic acid serum. It’s also a great idea to pack a hydrating mist in your bag or desk so you can spray your face whenever it feels tight.

You may have to experiment with different products to see which ones work best to hydrate your skin but once you find them, be consistent with your skincare routine and you’ll feel noticeable results sooner than you think.