Dehydrated skin is not really considered a skin type as it is more of a skin condition. Depending on its severity and how you care for it, dehydrated skin could be a temporary thing or a lifelong concern. What happens is that the skin goes through deficiency of moisture and protective oils to nourish and keep the layers of the skin healthy. This can be caused by your genetics, lifestyle, exposure to the harsh environment and the use of inappropriate products on the skin. If you’re unsure whether your skin is dehydrated, here are some telltale signs to help you.
1. Slightly flaky or scaly skin
Most commonly, dry flakes or crusty skin would appear around the nose area and on the nose itself, in between or around the eyebrows and towards the chin area. This can be seen any time, even after you’ve just cleansed your face in the morning or at night. Sometimes, it can even get itchy, so we suggest that you exfoliate regularly to get rid of the dead skin cells and dry patches of skin.
2. Tight or taut skin
After cleansing your face, do you find it a little difficult to stretch your skin, even if it’s just to put up a smile? That’s what taut skin feels like. You’ll also find that your skin isn’t as plump or supple as normal skin should be. To test this, see if your skin ‘bounces’ back ever so slightly when you pinch it lightly.
3. Irritated and sensitive skin
Once your skin feels dehydrated, its sensitivity increases. This means that your skin will be extra prone to irritation, leading to various skin problems such as enlarged pores, premature aging, uneven skin tone and hyperpigmentation.
4. Inflamed skin
When your skin is inflamed, you would experience redness, swelling and pain, especially on areas where you have blemishes or acne. Even if these aren’t severe cysts or pimples with pus or white heads, inflamed skin can appear as mild as several red spots or red patches of skin.
5. Fine lines or cracks
This is a no brainer as dehydrated skin can cause the skin’s repair process to become faulty, breaks down the collagen and weakens the skin’s surface, causing slight dents on the skin’s surface. This most commonly happens around the eye area and around the mouth where smile lines are often visible.
On the other hand, here are some skincare tips for those of you with dry or sensitive skin!
