Dry Skin: What’s Your (Skin) Type?

From dry to oily, to sensitive, to combination skin- everybody has a type. That is, a skin type, of course! Better understanding what our skin type is and the best way to take care of it will help us prevent various skin ailments and unwanted signs of aging down the line. We can take both proactive and reactive measures to ensure our skin is at its optimal health. This blog will cover the topic of the good, the bad, and the flakey- that’s right; dry skin! 

Signs You Have Dry Skin:

  • cracking of the skin; most common around the mouth and nose area
  • Peeling
  • Itching
  • Scaling
  • Redness
  • Skin tightness

Causes:

  • External factors such as weather, lack of moisture in the air
  • Frequent bathing in hot water
  • Sun exposure with lack of protection
  • Vitamin deficiency
  • Genetics & medical history

Dry Skin and Aging

As we age, our oil glands and sweat glands produce less sebum and sweat. This leads to a lack of our bodies’ natural lubrication for the skin. The top layer of the skin, the dermis, therefore, becomes dry, which leads to increased wrinkle formation and fine lines. Skin that is dry really benefits from all sorts of external moisturizing and hydrating factors. 

Treating Dry Skin

As always, there are both before-the-fact and after-the-fact measures we can take to minimize the effects of dry skin; especially when it comes to aging. Some proactive steps to take include:

  • Minimize exposure to hot water- wash your face with lukewarm water and reduce shower duration
  • Protect yourself from UV rays!
  • Apply moisturizer and serum twice a day
  • Don’t over-cleanse your face- 2x a day maximum. The more you cleanse the more you strip your skin of its’ natural oils.
  • Hydrate from the inside out- drink water and use a humidifier if possible during the cold, dry months

If your dry skin leads to unwanted signs of aging that topical treatments and preventative measures can’t seem to fix, skin treatments that work synergistically to target the various layers of the skin can be a reactive measure to give you the supple, younger-looking skin you might be looking for. The Divine Pro is a multi-solution platform that can create combined treatment protocols to treat specific skin concerns. With dry skin, restoring moisture would be at the top of the list, so a treatment that stimulates hyaluronic acid production could be beneficial.