Sage Advice Skin Care

DEHYDRATION: The lack of moisture, not oil, in the skin. Dehydration causes the skin to look less plump, healthy, flat, dull or off color and is not cured with heavy creams or oils. . Dehydration may be caused by very cold or hot weather, medication, illness, harsh skin care products and heavy creams. Creams and lotions do not moisturize, they seal because their molecules are too large to penetrate the surface of the skin.

Moisture starts as trans epidermal moisture in the germinative layer of the skin and slowly rises to the surface hydrating the skin. Unfortunately much of it evaporates off, hence the terms dehydration or dehydrated. Moisture or hydration must be infused into the skin with hydrators (real moisturizers) that have small enough molecules to penetrate the surface layers of the skin. These products are called emulsions because of their ability to penetrate surface layers of the skin. Then the skin may be sealed with a cream to prevent trans-epidermal moisture loss or dryness. Read full story