Skin hydration: simple and effective rules of hydration

Dry skin is one of the most common problems faced by dermatologists

2024-05-27

If our skin were always in perfect conditions, it would not need moisturizing. But reality makes it necessary to acquire some useful habits and regular maintenance. Let's talk about skin hydration so that you have this information at hand and can use it in your daily work with patients.

As you know, the skin is the largest organ of the human body, which occupies an area of about 2 m2 and is the boundary of the body's contact with the external environment. Its main function is to create a real barrier both in relation to the external environment (protection against ultraviolet rays, the penetration of microorganisms, pollutants or toxic substances, as well as from impacts) and in relation to the internal environment (restriction of moisture loss due to hermetic properties).

The ideal is usually smooth skin with unexpressed pores, velvety and thin, without shiny or oily areas. Essentially, a normal skin type is ideal, but its balance is very shaky. Hydration of the skin, that is, the epidermis and dermis, depends on three main factors:

internal hydration, which is mainly related to blood circulation;
external hydration, which depends on environmental conditions, the degree of sweat and sebum secretion, and on the applied cosmetics;
ability to retain water, which depends on the presence of appropriate molecules in the epidermis and dermis.

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