You may have noticed already that we often bring up hydration. Well, a healthy and radiant skin starts with proper hydration. And it's not just about drinking enough water. The skin's moisture barrier is made of fats like cholesterol, fatty acids, and ceramides. This barrier is then responsible for locking in moisture and keeping your skin hydrated and healthy. In other words, by maintaining the balance of oils and water in our skin, we give this remarkable organ the best opportunity to play its role to maximum effect. 

When the moisture barrier is damaged or compromised, it can cause serious skin hydration issues. Fortunately, moisture barrier damage isn't permanent. With the right changes to your lifestyle and skincare routine, you can reverse the damage and restore proper hydration to your skin. 

In this blog article, I want to dive a little bit deeper in why skin hydration is important, how to identify dehydrated skin, and the best ways to keep your skin hydrated and glowing.

Why hydration is essential to skincare?

Water is an essential part of the composition of the human body – it's both what we contain, and what we require. Renewing its frequently expended stores is crucial to preserving a healthy level of hydration in our bodies. And, as you may already understand from the intro of this article, in our skin. 

Hydration is crucial for maintaining the skin's barrier function, which protects against environmental aggressors like pollution, UV rays, and bacteria. Well-hydrated skin is more resilient, less prone to irritation, and looks more plump and youthful. On the other hand, dehydrated skin can lead to issues like dryness, flakiness, increased sensitivity, and the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Why does skin lose hydration?

I hope we all can agree that it's extremely important to hydrate your skin, but do you know why the skin loses hydration? 

Well, sometimes the things we do (or don't do) deplete our skin's water content. These things could be something like: 

• spending a lot of time in the cold or heat

• using harsh soaps, detergents, and chemicals 

• using rough sponges, wash cloths, or exfoliating products

• taking long, hot showers or baths

• not drinking enough water throughout the day 

  The good news is, that all the above-mentioned problems are easy enough to fix. By drinking a few extra glasses of water each day or keeping your showering time short, or minimising the use of soap, you can already improve your skin's hydration levels significantly. 

  There are, of course, medical conditions that can lead to dehydrated skin. For example, thyroid disease, menopause, diabetes, poor nutrition, etc. 

  In these cases, your doctor should be able to help you find the best treatment considering your condition.

How to identify dry skin?

Before we start getting into all the ways you can hydrate your skin, you have to be able to tell when your skin needs to be taken care of. There are certainly multiple signs of dehydration, so it should be easy to tell when you have it. Some signs that you can look out for: 

• dryness and flakiness: even oily skin can feel tight and look flaky when dehydrated; 

• dullness: dehydrated skin often lacks the healthy glow and can appear dull and lifeless; 

• fine lines and wrinkles: lack of hydration can make fine lines more noticeable; 

• sensitivity: dehydrated skin is more prone to redness and irritation; 

• dark circles: dehydration can make under-eye circles appear more prominent. 

Overall, a dehydrated skin will have a loss of elasticity and won't have the dewy radiance that comes with hydrated skin. Skin hydration is also extremely important for those with acne-prone or oily skin, because proper hydration makes it less likely to exhibit inflammatory markers, like breakouts or flushing. 

If you're unsure about your skin's hydration levels, there's a little test you can do. Using your thumb and index finger, pinch the fleshy part of your skin where the cheek and under eye area meet. 

When you do this, your skin will appear “tented” for a moment, or stuck in the shape of your pinch. Your hydration level is indicated by how quickly the skin snaps back into place. The quicker it snaps back, the higher the level of hydration. Skin that slowly returns to its usual position often indicates dehydration.

How to keep your skin hydrated?

Like I mentioned earlier, there are steps that you can take every day to improve your lifestyle and health, including, of course, the skin hydration levels. If I had to mention some easy tips for keeping your skin hydrated, those would be the following: 

• get enough sleep (8-9 hours) 

• limit your shower time to 5–10 minutes and keep the water lukewarm

• drink enough water

• limit the amount of coffee and alcohol you consume in your daily life 

• limit — or better yet avoid completely — smoking 

• eat a varied diet that's rich in essential fatty acids 

• Protect your skin from the sun, wind, and cold

• try to reduce your stress levels 

If we're talking about skincare, though, then important changes you can implement in your routine are: 

• switching to a gentle cleanser 

• using products that contain ceramides, hyaluronic acid, lipids, and fatty acids

• using a hydrating mask from time to time

Pivou has a variety of skin care products that can help with dehydrated skin. Here are some of the products, that I think are among the most effective when it comes to restoring the hydration levels in one's skin.