Just as extremely dry environments can cause the land to crack, our skin will also lose moisture severely in this case, resulting in dryness and desquamation and a tight feeling.

Given the difference in air humidity between the skin and the outside world, it is emitting moisture into the air at all times. Just as extremely dry environments can cause the land to crack, our skin will also lose moisture severely in this case, resulting in dryness and desquamation and a tight feeling.

1. How to avoid dry skin? Increase revenue and reduce expenditure.

.1 First talk about throttling

Many moisturizing products, especially creams, lotions, etc., contain moisturizing ingredients such as oils and waxes, covering the skin surface to reduce moisture loss. This is to reduce costs. Ingredients like this include vaseline , beeswax, synthetic oil, silicone oil , etc. Their moisturizing effect is obvious and it will help relieve skin dryness and cracks immediately. However, these ingredients are often more closed and greasy and thick, and the experience of applying them to the face is not refreshing enough.

Image is from shutterstock

.2 Let’s talk about open source

The so-called open source is to replenish moisture. The easiest way to hydrate is to apply a facial mask, apply moisturizing spray, etc. Many girls often ask me for consultation. When I feel my skin is dry, I will apply a facial mask and keep the moisturizing spray on my hands. Why does the more hydrate the skin becomes, the drier it becomes?

I have reviewed the moisturizing effect of several very popular masks and sprays on the market, and found that they can quickly increase the moisture content of the skin's stratum corneum by 40%-70% in a short period of time. [1] However, this forced replenishment of moisture can easily evaporate into the air, causing the skin to become dryer.

And when there is too much external moisture, keratinocytes will be soaked, forming a state of excessive skin hydration. Skin that is in a state of excessive hydration for a long time will also be damaged, and moisture will be more likely to evaporate. This is the reason why the more hydrated the skin becomes, the drier it will be [2].

It seems that relying solely on the outside world to replenish water is risky!

2. The truth---There is basically no lack of water in the deep skin, and the dryness is the outermost cuticle layer on the skin.

Our body contains 65-70% moisture. The dermis at the bottom of the skin contains a large amount of blood vessels. The blood vessels are channels of water that connect the water in the body, so the dermis is a large reservoir of the skin.

skin tissue structure diagram, the picture is from shutterstock. The skin can be divided into three layers from the outside to the inside, the epidermal layer, the dermis and the subcutaneous tissue.

The outermost layer in the epidermis is the part we see in the eyes, which is called the cuticle. The stratum corneum cells have completely keratinized and die, more like a wall piled up on the surface of the skin. The cuticle cannot directly obtain water supply through the blood circulation, which causes dryness and peeling.

Image source is shutterstock

In this way, traditional methods of increasing revenue and reducing expenditure are both ways to treat skin water deficiency. How can we solve the root cause? You can treat the depths of your skin as a reservoir, find a water pump, and continuously "suck" the water, replenish the stratum corneum, and allow the skin to "self-generate water". That should be a very advanced gameplay.

3. This "water pump" is the natural moisturizing factor NMF

NMF (Natural Moisturizing Factor), which is a substance that naturally exists in our skin. It is not just one substance, but a mixture of multiple water-soluble small molecule substances. NMF is highly absorbent and is a key part of skin moisturizing.

NMF is like a super sponge that attracts water from deep in the skin and then locks in this moisture. This maintains the moisture content of the stratum corneum and makes the skin moist and elastic. If this "water pump" does not work properly, the skin will easily feel dry. Unfortunately, with external sunlight damage or age, the NMF content in the skin will gradually decrease [3, 4].

4. Summary

In fact, everyone has always misunderstood hydration ≠ moisturizing. Many girls will hydrate as long as they feel their skin is a little dry. Apply a facial mask and spray it violently. This will not only not hydrate the skin, but will become dryer.

Actually, I have never advocated applying facial masks regularly. Usually when we care about our skin, using lotions or creams and essences is enough. If you feel that your skin is particularly dry, the most effective way to hydrate is to use a facial mask with a cream to use

Finally, I will recommend several creams to you,

. Japanese Kerun Cream

.Koyan's high moisturizing cream

.Winona Shuminte Cream

.Yuze Barrier Repair Cream

.LKAELKB Repair Cream

References

. https://www.zhihu.com/question/58421606/answer/632764724

. Choi, E.H., Brown, B.E., Crumrime, D., Chang, S., Man, M.Q. and Feingold, K.R. Mechanisms by which psychological stress alters cutaneous barrier homeostasis and stratum corneum integrity. J. Invest. Dermatol. 124, 587–595 (2005).

. Yosipovitch, G., Xiong, G.I., Haus, E., Sackett-Lunden, L., Ashkenazi, I. and Maibach, H.I. Timedependent variations of skin barrier function in humans: transepidermal water loss, stratum corneum hydration, skin surface pH and skin temperature. J. Invest. Dermatol. 110, 20–23 (1998).

. Rogers, J., Harding, C.R., Mayo, J., Banks, J. and Rawlings, A.V. Stratum corneum lipids: the effect of ageing and the seasons. Arch. Dermatol. Res. 288, 765–770 (1996).