DEHYDRATED VS. DRY SKIN: HOW TO DETERMINE THE DIFFERENCE

by Tim McCouch

There’s nothing fun about dealing with painful, irritated skin. Some people believe that dehydrated skin and dry skin are interchangeable, but they are two completely different phenomena. When you touch the surface of your skin, you may feel an oily, waxy substance produced by your body's sebaceous glands, commonly known as sebum.

When you feel sebum on your skin, or a lack thereof, this is directly related to your skin type. Skin types are classified as normal skin, oily skin, dry skin, or combination skin. When you have dry skin, this means that your body isn’t producing its natural oils, which can result in uncomfortable symptoms.

COMMON SYMPTOMS OF DRY SKIN:

  • • scaly skin
  • • white flakes
  • • redness
  • • irritation

Dry skin can be something you’re born with, or something you develop with age. It can also appear after encountering environmental aggressors such as smoke, pollution, and allergens. Dry skin may also be caused by underlying health conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, diabetes, hypothyroidism, and malnutrition. However, these do not fall under the skin type umbrella.

If you want to treat dry skin, you’ll need to find a moisturizing cream that restores sebum production and moisture levels. These topical aids will help protect the skin from further moisture loss.

If you deal with dry skin around the eyes, the best skincare product to apply is Eyetitude’s ProZerve Peptide Eye Cream. This cream provides solutions for dry skin, puffiness, and dark circles, while reducing signs of aging by nourishing and protecting from environmental aggressors. Our formulation contains double peptide to help feed the skin with increased moisture and cell turnover, six natural amino acids work together to deliver firmness and antiaging properties, and antioxidants and anti-inflammatories that lift and nourish the area around the eye.

On the other hand, dehydrated skin is a completely different phenomena. When your skin is dehydrated, it lacks water, not sebum. Dehydrated skin is considered a condition, rather than a skin type like dry skin. Dehydration stems from your body using and losing more water than it is retaining. If you work out a lot, drink a lot of caffeine, or just simply don’t drink enough water, you can suffer from dehydrated skin.

COMMON SYMPTOMS OF DEHYDRATED SKIN:

  • • itchiness
  • • dullness
  • • darker under-eye circles
  • • sunken eyes
  • • “shadows” around the face (especially under the eyes and around your nose)
  • • increased incidence or appearance of fine lines and surface wrinkles

The best way to manage remedy dehydrated skin is to chug that jug of water, and alter your lifestyle habits to restore and replenish your hydration levels. Try eating more water-rich vegetables and fruits to help increase your intake, such as celery, watermelon, and grapes. You can also limit your alcohol and coffee intake, quit smoking, and get plenty of sleep to say byebye to dehydrated skin.

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