Skin Dehydration

Dry skin is also known as “xerosis” and can be either congenital or acquired. It can also be mild and hardly noticed or very severe to the extent that there are serious complications such as infection. Skin dehydration is a common skin concern that occurs when the skin lacks moisture and becomes dry and flaky. (See below image)

Dry skin is characterized by the lack of moisture in the layers of the skin. The skin is a natural barrier between the outside world and our body. There are many cells, structures, bonds, and components which make up this barrier. When there are changes in this barrier due to various causes, water loss increases and leads to drier skin.

Causes can be congenital, inflammatory, environmental, and/or aging. It is always important to firstly rule out any congenital skin diseases that may be causing dry skin. Inflammatory conditions such as rosacea, psoriasis, dermatitis, and eczema can also cause more dryness of the skin. Environmental causes include overuse of hot water, detergents, friction from clothing, pollution, frequent air travel, air conditioning, exposure to other chemicals and even stress.

Symptoms and Signs:

The symptoms and signs of skin dehydration can vary depending on the type and severity of the condition. Common symptoms and signs of skin dehydration include:

  • Skin that feels tight and itchy
  • Rough texture
  • Dull and tired-looking skin
  • Fine lines and wrinkles
  • Flakiness, Scaling
  • Cracks, Fissures

Types of Skin Dehydration:

  1. Mild Skin Dehydration: Mild skin dehydration is characterized by dry and flaky skin that may feel tight or itchy.
  2. Severe Skin Dehydration: Severe skin dehydration can lead to cracked and painful skin that may bleed.

Diagnosis: A thorough medical history including current and past illnesses, lifestyle/environmental factors and family history is important to assess the causes of dry skin. Unfortunately, there is still lack of consensus on objective measurements of dry skin and applications in healthcare institutions. Therefore, an assessment continues with a visual examination of the skin and various types of medical photography. [In some cases, additional tests such as a skin biopsy may be necessary to rule out other conditions that can cause similar symptoms.]

Treatment Options:

Treatment options for skin dehydration depend on the severity and type of skin dehydration, as well as the patient’s skin type and medical history. Common treatment options include:

  1. Lifestyle Modification
  2. Environmental aggravation avoidance
  3. Topical cosmeceuticals: Using products that contain hyaluronic acid, glycerin, or other hydrating ingredients can help to restore moisture to the skin. Using a daily serum and moisturizer can help to hydrate the skin and prevent future dehydration.
  4. Avoiding harsh skincare products: Avoiding products that contain alcohol, fragrances, or other harsh ingredients can help to prevent further dehydration. Ingredients such as salicylic acid, glycolic acid, or other exfoliants can cause skin dryness.
  5. Treatment of any underlying congenital or inflammatory illness
  6. Drinking water
  7. Sonophoresis: This device assists to open the barriers in the skin to allow applied topicals to absorb more efficiently into the skin.
  8. Microdermabrasion: A device is used with an motorized abrasive surface to assist in removing dead skin cells on the surface which can hinder moisture and topical cosmeceuticals absorbing into the skin. However, if the treatment is too frequent or too intensive, it can cause more skin irritation and dryness.
  9. Hydro-Microdermabrasion: These treatments utilize suction instead of abrasion to remove the dead skin cells causing less irritation to the skin. Also, simultaneous perfusion of various serums help to hydrate the skin, enhancing skin hydration.
  10. Local injections: “skin boosters” (polynucleotides, hyaluronic acid) when injected into the skin layers bind to water molecules enhancing hydration at a deeper level than just topical treatments. Injections require topical anesthesia due to pain from injection and entail some type of “downtime” where the skin will have “bumps”, redness and/or swelling for a few days after the treatment.

Dry skin can be effectively treated after proper assessment of the possible causes. Treatment involves addressing these causes and implementing proper skincare and hydration practices in addition to other clinical treatments when indicated. Due to the nature of your underlying skin type, continued exposure to environmental factors and aging, continued effort and treatment is required to maintain a healthy skin condition.