How to Tell If Your Skin Is Dehydrated (and What to Do About It)
Most of us are familiar with many of the symptoms of dehydration, such as fatigue, headaches, and cramping. However, dehydrated skin can be harder to recognize, in large part due to its similarities to dry skin. Although the two terms are often used interchangeably, there are some major differences.
We asked board-certified dermatologists Gloria Lin, MD, and Melanie Palm, MD, to tell us all about dehydrated skin, including symptoms, how it differs from dry skin, and how to treat it. Read on for the ultimate guide to dehydrated skin.
What is Dehydrated Skin?
“Dehydrated” skin means your skin lacks water. If your body loses more water than it takes in, your skin is dehydrated. This can happen for several reasons, such as:
Not Drinking Enough Water: Your body naturally loses water through many daily activities, such as exercise, sweating, urinating, and even breathing, so it’s important to drink enough water throughout the day to replace what you lose. “If you don’t drink enough water each day to prevent your body from losing more water than it takes in, you’re at a higher risk for dehydration,” says Palm.
Not moisturizing enough: For some people, especially those with a compromised skin barrier, drinking water isn’t enough to prevent skin dehydration, Palm explains. “In these cases, regular moisturizing can help by using products that help seal moisture into the skin barrier,” she says.
Living in a very hot or dry place: People who live in hot and dry climates are more likely to lose water through the surface of their skin than those who live in humid and temperate areas. Unfortunately, this water loss can lead to dehydrated skin. Similarly, heating in the winter can cause water to evaporate from the surface of the skin, which can lead to dehydration, Palm says.
Hot showers, lack of sleep, use of harsh soaps and skin care products, and over-exfoliation can also contribute to dehydrated skin.
What are the symptoms of dehydrated skin?
Dehydrated skin may appear tight, rough, dry, flaky, or dull. Your skin may also feel itchy, you may have dark circles under your eyes, and you may notice more pronounced fine lines or wrinkles. “Because our skin relies on water to maintain its moisture barrier, dehydrated skin can also appear to have a weakened or compromised skin barrier,” Palm says. If left untreated, a damaged skin barrier can lead to conditions like eczema, skin infections, acne, and psoriasis.
Dehydration affects the entire body, so you may also experience signs of dehydration beyond the skin, such as dizziness and lightheadedness.
Dry Skin vs. Dehydrated Skin
Dry skin and dehydrated skin sound similar, but they are not the same thing. Having dry skin does not mean that the skin is dehydrated, and vice versa. “Dry skin is a skin type that you are born with, similar to oily or combination skin,” explains Lin. “Dehydrated skin, when treated, is a temporary skin condition caused by a lack of water in the top layer.”
Dehydrated skin can occur on many skin types, including oily and combination skin. You can easily identify them by pinching a small area of skin on the back of your hand and holding it for a few seconds. “If the skin takes a while to recover, then your skin may be dehydrated,” says Lin.
Dry skin is caused by insufficient oil, or sebum, production. Normally, this oil keeps the skin healthy and moisturized, but sebum production decreases with age, sometimes causing the skin to look flaky or irritated.
Dry skin can be treated with moisturizers, while dehydrated skin needs hydration. “This means that dry skin benefits from more cream-based products, while dehydrated skin needs more moisture-rich products,” says Lin.
How to Treat Dehydrated Skin
Stay hydrated: “Drinking enough water is the first step in treating dehydrated skin,” says Palm. “The amount of water you should drink each day depends on your weight, activity level, and other factors—in general, it’s recommended that most people should drink six to eight glasses [of water] a day.” To help your body retain water and important minerals, consider adding electrolyte supplements to your drinking water. You can also eat hydrating foods like fruits and vegetables.
Get enough sleep: You should also make sure you get enough sleep, as this can affect the health of your skin.
Moisturize: “Use an emollient moisturizer or lotion that helps the skin retain moisture, such as hyaluronic acid,” advises Palm. Other products that help repair and seal the skin barrier include squalene, ceramides, and glycerin. “I recommend using a moisturizer with these ingredients after showering to lock in moisture,” says Palm.
Check your skincare routine: It’s also a good idea to make sure your daily regimen is gentle enough for your skin. As Lin tells us, skincare products can often lead to dehydrating the skin. “That’s why you should stop using any products that may irritate, dry out, or exfoliate your skin for a few weeks while you try to restore moisture,” she says.
Use a humidifier: If you live in a very dry, hot climate where the air tends to strip moisture from your skin, using a humidifier can help your skin retain moisture.
Final Verdict
If your skin is dehydrated, it may appear dull and flaky, you may have more fine lines and wrinkles than usual, you may also feel itchy, and you may have dark circles under your eyes. One of the best ways to treat dehydrated skin is to drink more water. But you can also try other measures, such as using hydrating skin care products, using a humidifier at home, and prioritizing sleep.
DQH Knowledge drop: In your 20s, your skin cell turnover decreases. (Cell turnover is a key component in keeping your skin youthful.) You know what else slows down? Your collagen production. Starting in your 20s, collagen decreases by about 1 percent per year. Should you want to prevent fine lines and wrinkles, start by eliminating behaviors that contribute to premature aging. “If it’s bad for you, it’s bad for your skin,” says dermatologist Michel Somenek.
“Cigarette smoking reduces blood flow to the skin and causes premature wrinkling and a dull skin texture. Making the repeated pursed motion to inhale can also cause smoker’s lines. Alcohol and recreational drugs are toxins for the skin that damage its cellular structure and DNA,” Somenek tells us. “The faster you eliminate vices while you are young, the better chance your skin and body have to recuperate.” Also, adopting an anti-aging routine in your 20s is key. After all, the best offense is a good defense. We spoke to Somenek and experts Joshua Ross and Audrey Kunin to find out more.
Keep reading for the best anti-aging products for your 20s, according to skincare professionals.
Sunscreen
“We all know that the sun is the number one cause of skin aging and starting the prevention in your 20s is very important,” Ross says. “The majority of your sun damage won’t start to appear until you’re in your 30s, so don’t wait until you see it surface or you’ll be behind the curve. Stay ahead of it with a good-quality zinc-based sunscreen worn daily.”
Farmacy Green Defense Daily Mineral Sunscreen
An invisible sunscreen with SPF 30, plus botanical extracts meant to protect skin with tons of antioxidants. Bonus: It’s clean and fine to use under makeup.
Bareminerals Complexion Rescue™ Tinted Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30
Although we recommend you use your SPF and moisturizer separately, we also understand moments when you don’t have time or energy for that extra step. For those times, this bareMinerals moisturizer is a great thing to have on hand.
Vitamin C Serum
“A great introduction to anti-aging is to start with a vitamin C serum in your morning skincare routine,” Ross says. “It’s a powerful antioxidant that will neutralize free radicals and brighten the skin.” He adds that it’s a great way to counteract the effects of the sun’s harmful rays, which, as previously mentioned, are among the biggest causes of premature aging.
Drunk Elephant C-Firma™ Vitamin C Day Serum
The Drunk Elephant C-Firma is a lightweight serum that promises to give skin a glow by combining the brightening powers of vitamin C with ferulic acid, l-ascorbic acid, and vitamin E. The included sodium hyaluronate is meant to replace hydration loss, so you shouldn’t have to deal with any irritation.
Sunday Riley C.E.O. Rapid Flash Brightening Serum
This potent serum is jam-packed with vitamin C (15 percent, to be exact), which means it’s a potential superstar at both brightening skin and dousing it in antioxidants.
Peptides
Using peptides on your skin has many benefits, says Somenek. “The skin barrier is what defends the body against pollution, UV rays, bacteria, and toxins. It can be damaged by several everyday factors. Using topical peptides aids in building a stronger barrier,” he says. “Peptides comprise elastic fibers, which are a type of protein. These fibers help to make skin appear taut and firm. Peptides can also help repair damaged skin, relieve inflammation, and even out skin tone. Some peptides can kill acne-causing bacteria that is common in 20-somethings.”
Kunin agrees, saying, “Peptides are an excellent entry point for supporting collagen.” She recommends looking for face and eye treatments that contain these collagen-boosting powerhouses.
Charlotte Tilbury Magic Eye Rescue Cream
This Charlotte Tilbury super-emollient eye cream has a base of coconut oil and shea butter (read: it’s incredibly hydrating). Botanicals plus peptides are meant to help reduce dark circles and boost collagen, respectively.
This creamy moisturizer serves up potent collagen-boosting peptides and pycnogenol, and antioxidant-rich vitamin C. “Instead of sitting on top of the skin, peptides penetrate the outer layer so they go deep. The ‘signals’ they send tell the cells to produce elastin and collagen, which are needed for youthful-looking skin,” explains Somenek.
At-Home Peel Pads
Remember that skin cell turnover fiasco we talked about earlier? One way to help support it is by exfoliating. “Exfoliation is important to help keep skin fresh and luminous,” Kunin says. She recommends using at-home peel pads as an easy and effective way to exfoliate.
“The goal in your 20s is to fight the slowing pace of cell turnover. It is wise to use products that gently exfoliate, yet still remove oil and other impurities. Products that have Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHA) or Beta Hydroxy Acids (BHA) are a good choice.”
According to Somenek, you should only exfoliate two to three times a week. “People of all ages are guilty of over-exfoliating and that can be too much of a good thing,” he says.
Dermadoctor Kakadu C Intensive Vitamin C Peel Pad
A few swipes of this Derma Doctor powerful peel pad promise to leave your skin glowing and smooth, thanks to the seven (yes, seven) types of chemical exfoliants, including AHA and BHA. It also contains vitamin C via Kakadu plum extract for added brightening and antioxidant protection.
KEY INGREDIENTS Kakadu plum extract is sourced from the Kakadu plum, a fruit grown in northern Australia. It contains vitamin C, which restores the skin’s natural barrier, increases collagen production, and soothes irritation.
Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Alpha Beta® Universal Daily Peel Pads
These are the gold standard of peel pads, with a cult following and over 900 five-star reviews on Sephora. They’re easy to use and contain a blend of anti-aging exfoliating acids.
Emollient Night Cream
“In your 20s, you need to start upping the hydration in your skincare routine. You may have been cautious of over-moisturizing because of acne in your teens, but as you enter your 20s, your skin transitions and becomes drier,” Ross says. “I recommend an emollient night cream added into your evening skincare regimen.”
“Twenty-somethings need to make sure that they are not using creams that will clog their pores and cause excess oil production,” says Somenek. Opt for non-comedogenic products.
Cerave Skin Renewing Night Cream
One great choice is the CeraVe Skin Renewing Night Cream, which is a non-comedogenic night cream that leaves skin soft and glowy. It combines the moisturizing powers of ceramides and hyaluronic acid.
RoC Retinol Correxion Max Hydration Creme
“The best night cream ingredients contain retinol, benzoyl peroxide, and/or salicylic acid or hyaluronic acid. The goal is to moisturize, yet remove excess oil,” says Somenek. This Roc Retinol Correxion cream fits the bill as it contains both hyaluronic acid and retinol so it promises to moisturize while also being non-comedogenic.
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