If your skin is feeling dehydrated, you may be concerned and questioning the origins of this. At our cosmetic clinic in Milton Keynes, we understand that if your skin isn’t feeling rejuvenated, neither are you! So, we’ve put together a guide to understanding your skin, what could be causing that lacklustre feeling and how to get rid of dry skin for good!
Our Guide On How To Get Rid Of Dry Skin
Many triggers cause your skin to lack its sparkle and lose its touch, whether environmental, lifestyle choices or underlying health conditions; however, there are many ways to treat this to get your radiance back.
Take a look at our guide on how to get rid of dry skin to help you achieve your desired look!
What Is Dry Skin?
Dry skin (medically known as xeroderma) occurs when the outer layer of skin, called the stratum corneum, does not receive enough moisture, vitamins, minerals, and oils, which prevents it from consistently reflecting light. When the water content is low, the top layer, made up of dead skin cells, shrinks and decreases in volume and surface area, leading to a tightening and cracking of the skin, creating a dry and flaky appearance. Prevent this by looking after your skin and body; our article can tell you how!
Symptoms Of Dry Skin
Dry skin is usually easy to spot, presenting itself in many different ways such as:
- Skin appearing and feeling rough
- Skin feeling tight, especially after contact with water such as showering
- Mild or intense itching
- Flaking or peeling skin, sometimes intense
- Cracks and skin fissures
- Red and raw skin
- Painful, stinging or burning sensations
Causes Of Dry Skin
There are multiple possible causes of dry skin, so it is always helpful to know about and understand them.
Some environmental causes include:
- Weather: Different weather types can permanently affect your skin, whether cold or hot; both cause a drop in humidity, negatively impacting your skin. Hot weather creates a loss of water from the body, mainly through sweat, leading to the skin feeling the loss and losing its elasticity. Similarly, cold weather strips away humidity and removes a lot of skin moisture, resulting in dryness and sensitive skin.
- Allergies: Although not affecting the skin directly, allergies can lead to itchiness because of irritation, leading to flaky and dehydrated skin.
Some lifestyle choices that negatively impact your skin are:
- Alcohol: Consuming excessive amounts of alcohol can result in red, itchy, dehydrated skin. This is because alcohol tends to absorb vitamins and minerals that the skin needs to keep healthy – especially vitamin B6 – which mainly contributes to skin moisture levels and is what helps your skin feel new and nourished.
- Lack of sleep: The body rebalances hydration levels whilst we sleep by sweating more; not getting enough sleep ages the skin and lowers your PH levels which causes dreariness and dehydration.
- Smoking: Tobacco impacts blood flow, leaving your skin discoloured and dry. Smoking reduces a vital vitamin called vitamin C, so the once repairing and protecting vitamins are removed, resulting in lifeless skin.
- Hot water and harsh soaps: Overexposure to hot water tightens the skin because the natural protective barrier is broken down, which, along with harsh soaps containing fragrances and nasty chemicals, irritate and cause sensitive skin, all leading to the development of dry skin. These causes usually concern the skin on your face because of people’s harsh skincare routines.
Genetic causes of dry skin include:
Different skin types: There are six different skin types identified by the Fitzpatrick classification of skin, ranging from type one (lightest) to type 6 (darkest). Many reasons can affect each skin type. Dark skin can dry out quickly because of low fat and water levels; medium-toned skin has moderate levels of water loss and is subject to irritants; light skin due to fat levels also, water loss and sensitivity levels.
Want to know more about skin types? Take a look at this article by Dermnetnz.
Rosacea: This chronic condition affects many people, particularly those who have a lighter skin tone, and is noticeable through:
- Swelling
- Intense redness
- Burning sensation in the skin
- Eye sensitivity
- Irritation
- Visible blood vessels around and under the eyes
If you want to find out more about rosacea, take a look at our previous article.
Eczema: Eczema is a genetic, inflammatory skin condition that causes rashes, redness and itchiness, leading to flaky and dry skin, which can sometimes develop into painful blisters and skin infections.
Take a look at this article by the National Eczema Society for more information.
How To Treat Dry Skin
Our cosmetic clinic offers multiple different transforming solutions for dry skin to tackle particular problems and get you feeling that you have achieved your aspired look; these include:
Viscoderm:
Viscoderm is an Hyaluronic acid product injected into your skin which offers hydration, natural, long-lasting results and optimises radiance, helping you feel rejuvenated. Most clients need two separate treatments eight weeks apart for the best results; however, it is possible that you only need one. The procedure can take between an hour and 90 minutes; if you feel uncomfortable with mild pain, try not to worry! We apply numbing cream 20 minutes before the treatment begins. Some bruising may appear after; however, this will not last, and the stunning results last for six months!
PRP Skin Rejuvenation:
Our PRP skin rejuvenation in Milton Keynes, also known as the ‘Vampire facial’, uses your own blood platelets (responsible for treating wounds) to restore cell growth and improve your complexion. It is injected and distributed by microneedling to leave the whole dry-prone area strong and healthy; celebrities love its natural process as it results in dewy and refreshed skin! This treatment requires virtually no healing time and minimises possible side effects and allergic reactions; however, you may experience redness, swelling and bruising, but these are common side effects and do not last long.
Profhilo:
Our popular and revolutionary Profhilo in Milton Keynes provides long-term effects and leaves you feeling youthful and smooth. It retains water and hydrates the deeper layers of your skin by using a precise injection to target skin areas prone to dryness. The procedure involves injecting the prone area with a hyaluronic acid product which shows immediate results. The recommended treatment involves two sessions only a month apart, but a further session may be required.
HyrdaFacial:
Your skin will be left feeling rejuvenated and boosted instantly after this detoxing facial. Many recommend our popular and award-winning Hydrafacial in Milton Keynes, as this treatment helps your skin lack its dryness and reverts it to feeling bouncy and trouble-free. The process lasts only 30 minutes, but you may have to return each week for more treatments. The process consists of three stages, which include:
- Cleanse and peel: involves exfoliating the skin, revealing the healthy layer
- Extract and hydrate: involves extracting congested pores
- Fuse and protect: involves using peptides and antioxidants to enhance the skin
Skin Peels:
We offer a transforming skin peel: the ‘perfect peel’, which gives instant results and improves skin texture to eliminate dryness and a dreary feeling. This treatment is a chemical solution applied to the skin to remove the top layers; skin that grows back after is recovered and smoother. You may need to go through the procedure multiple times for your desired look. You may experience redness, scabbing and swelling, but these are all typical healing effects. At LasaDerm, we recommend the IMAGE Skincare ‘lightening lift’ skin peel to attack affected areas, using a lactic acid blend with a cocktail of agents to reduce dryness and redness-prone skin.
GeneO+ Facial:
This four-stage, non-surgical treatment stimulates plumpness and radiance to leave your skin feeling its positive effects and get you back on track for healthy skin. The procedure involves:
- Exfoliation: The upper layer of skin is exfoliated, which removes dead skin cells and preps the skin to receive active nutrients
- Infusion: The skin is then cleansed whilst infusing nutrient-rich formulas
- Oxygenation: Many tiny CO2 bubbles are infused into the skin as they gently burst
- Radio-frequency and ultrasound: This tightens and rejuvenates the skin and increases skin permeability for the ultimate intake of vital nutrients
Don’t hesitate to contact our team if you think these treatments suit you!
How To Stop Dry Skin
Our LasaDerm treatments work brilliantly alongside changing or adding lifestyle choices routinely to affect your skin positively. These could include:
Moisturising:
Using a gentle, fragrance-free moisturiser can rejuvenate your skin and help it to feel moist and bouncy. Healthy products such as ceramide, shea butter, and cocoa butter act as good aids to increase moisture; however, cocoa butter is not suitable for skin types prone to acne. Use a moisturiser straight after drying the skin after washing. Look for products labelled ‘fragrance-free’, not ‘unscented’ as these can contain chemicals that only hide odours of harsh ingredients instead of not including them.
Limit bath and shower time:
Everyone loves a long, hot soak; however, these remove lots of natural oils from your skin. Limiting bath and shower time to no more than once a day and no longer than 10 minutes will help to lock in moisture and create healthy and smooth skin. Always make sure to use warm, not hot water.
Switch to gentle fabrics and detergents:
Harsh clothes and detergents can increase irritation on your skin. Natural fibres like cotton are light and airy, letting your skin breathe. Detergents lacking dyes and fragrances lessen the irritation on your skin and help it feel refreshed.
Wear gloves:
As our hands are usually the first areas that we notice dry skin, wearing gloves in cases such as on cold days, when doing tasks that require you to wet your hands, and during jobs that involve getting grease and chemicals on your hands can help to protect your skin.
Increasing water intake:
Skin starts to feel rough if the outer layer is not receiving enough moisture and hydration; drinking the recommended amount of water daily has been proved to help solve this issue and provide your skin with what it needs.
Change negative habits:
Although sometimes tricky, altering practices and lifestyle choices such as excessive smoking and drinking alcohol can positively impact your skin and how it looks and feels.
Try using a humidifier:
Humidifiers increase moisture in the air to help dry, itchy skin and boost hydration; however, you shouldn’t replace your skincare routine with a humidifier as they only help lock in the moisture your healthy practice makes.
Want some more home remedies to increase the effects of your treatments? Take a look at this article by the American Academy of Dermatology for more information.
The Best Ways To Solve Your Dry Skin Issue
Although very common, dry skin is an irritating and sometimes painful thing to go through, which can also affect your self-esteem; many treatments have been proven to solve or positively impact dry skin. Without the proper knowledge, it can be challenging to know what remedies to use to help your skin; we hope this article helped you understand what you and your skin are facing and the many home remedies and treatments that can solve the problem. If you are concerned with your skin, feel free to contact our team of experts in Milton Keynes, who are highly experienced and qualified to support you in your journey of treating your skin.