Dry and dehydrated skin: causes and solution to the problem

Polina Laiter – medical cosmetologist PME, specialist in the field of restorative cosmetology and natural rejuvenation of the face and neck, author of the Reface Laitlift System layer therapy method (Israel)

What is dehydrated skin

When a patient comes to me complaining of dry facial skin, first of all I try to understand what causes this condition. The condition of the skin is its response to external and internal factors that change barrier properties, physicochemical functions and protective responses. This leads to the formation of visible aesthetic defects.

It must be said that both those who have reduced sebum secretion and those whose sebaceous glands are active and whose skin is oily complain about dry skin. And those who are dry always complain, calling the skin flabby, with decreased tone, meaning by dryness a lack of moisture in the deep layers. It is in this case that the skin is actually dehydrated.

Therefore, for myself, I divide these states (not types, mind you, but states) into 3 groups:

1. Dry skin caused by the destruction of the barrier structures of the stratum corneum (including such invasive influences as injections, surgery, hardware, peelings, etc.) or a deficiency of essential fatty acids;

2. Pathological dry skin caused by chronic skin diseases or general diseases affecting lipid metabolism (diabetes, psoriasis, hypothyroidism...);

3. Dehydration of the skin caused by hormonal changes (age-related) and caused by dysfunctions of subcutaneous structures leading to biomechanical changes, which in turn lead to premature aging of tissues.

Main differences

With dehydrated skin, patients do not complain of tightness, a constant feeling of dryness, redness, superficial fine and numerous wrinkles, etc., as with dryness. They complain of decreased tone, loose and flabby skin, and the appearance of pronounced deeper and longer wrinkles, although not numerous. They say that applying the medications twice a day is enough for them, but they still have the feeling that cosmetics are not suitable and they do not see any improvement associated with using cosmetics or changing cosmetics.

Their skin looks tired, sometimes pasty with an overall yellowish undertone, and aged. I have seen more than once how patients (and some cosmetologists) unsuccessfully try to solve the condition of skin dehydration using various methods designed to correct the condition of dryness of the stratum corneum of the skin. Let's figure out why it's unsuccessful.

What happens to the skin?

Over time, the muscles of the face and neck generally do not stretch, but spasm and shorten. These changes lead to changes in muscle tone, distortion of the tension of the tissue field of the face and neck, changes in the position of the muscles, bones of the facial skull and temporomandibular joints, migration of submuscular fat deposits, and muscle imbalance. These changes are called biomechanical. A change in the tone of even one muscle disrupts the balance of the entire muscle and bone structure of the face and neck. This leads to blockage of the lymph nodes and contributes to the accumulation of excess fluid, causing swelling.

If the stage of edema is very pronounced, very long-lasting or is regularly renewed, then the edema, turning into stagnation (lymphostasis), disrupts the mobility of myofascial structures, and the muscle cannot perform its function in its entire volume and throughout the contraction or stretching.

Myofascial structures weaken, this leads to impaired microcirculation, impaired tissue nutrition, and triggers a mechanism of tissue damage that changes the biochemical, neurophysiological and mechanical properties of tissue along the vector inflammation (edema)-fibrosis-sclerosis. The fabric ages prematurely.

The solution of the problem

Since in dehydrated skin the main problem is not a violation of the barrier function of the skin, but a lack of moisture at the level of the dermis, to achieve a visual effect when correcting dehydrated skin it is necessary to correct both the condition of the layers of the dermis itself and the condition and position of all subcutaneous layers. After all, a prerequisite for the normal functioning of the structures of the dermis must be the free (so that nothing interferes) movement of blood, lymph and intercellular fluid in all structures of the face.