This article is all about moisturizing. Learn all
about moisturizers, what they do and why we need them.
Here’s what you’ll learn:
- First,
you need to know the science behind the skin, what our skin needs and why
moisturizing is important.
- The
perfect moisturizer; what it should do and why.
- Added
Benefits that are now in moisturizers. Treat while moisturizing.
- What moisturizer
you should use for your skin type.
- How to
properly moisturize your skin.
Science of
the Skin and Moisturizers
The skin is a complex organ with many layers. It’s
actually the largest organ in our bodies. It’s designed to minimize moisture
loss from the body while preventing foreign materials from entering. To accomplish these functions,
the skin must have a protective covering of lipids, or oil-soluble molecules. If
this function is disrupted, it results in trans epidermal water loss or TEWL.
This is associated with a bunch of conditions such as dermatitis and other
chronic diseases. Moisturizers can prevent and improve these conditions because
they restore the skin and help create a barrier to prevent water loss.
This is why moisturizers usually contain some
oil-soluble components and can be used to restore the skin to its natural
condition. Most moisturizers use a mixture of oil and water soluble components
called an emulsion.
But oil and water don’t mix! So then
you need a surfactant. A surfactant is a chemical that attracts both oil and
water to mix them. A surfactant must have two parts, one that binds water and
one that binds oil.
Example of a surfactant: One of the
most common examples of a surfactant is dishwashing soap. It contains chemicals
that bind both water and oil. When combined with water, the mixture can bind
the greasy residue on our dishes. It pulls it off as the mixture runs over the
dish. Water alone would just slide over the oil and wouldn’t be able to remove
it from the dish.
Hydration
Moisturizing your face is not only an important part when
taking care of your skin but keeping your body well hydrated is just as
important.
Not drinking enough
water can affect virtually every aspect of our health. Your skin carries out a
ton of biochemical reactions. If there isn’t enough moisture then many of these
reactions aren’t carried out properly, which causes your skin to look dry and
dull.
Dehydration can also accelerate the aging process
and dry skin is one
of the biggest causes of wrinkles, so moisturizing your face will help combat
these factors.
The
Perfect Moisturizer
A combination of
hydration, lipid replacement and protection is needed. You want to hydrate your
skin, replace lipids and provide a protective barrier. Water alone won’t
increase the moisture level because it would just evaporate off the skin. A
protective lipid coating is also needed to prevent the loss of water. Our skin
has a protective barrier but it needs help. Ideally, a product will partially
protect the skin by supplementing the barrier. By partially protecting it your
natural barrier still has to work and will continue to work even if it’s taken
off. If you put on a completely occlusive product, your natural barrier will be
disrupted and it won’t work when you take it off.
Some properties that
you’ll find in moisturizers are humectants like glycerin and lactic acid that
help attract and help retain moisture and emollients made from fatty acids that
soften and smooth. These are often in moisturizers and occlusives (known as “barrier creams”), such as petrolatum, dimethicone
or lanolin and leave a film on the
surface of the skin and seal in moisture.
Most
products contain a combination of humectants, emollients and occlusives, so it’s easier to choose a
moisturizer based on your skin type.
Added Benefits
Not
all skin moisturizers are made the same and they certainly don’t contain the
same ingredients.
Always wear a
moisturizer that contains a sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher during the day to protect
your skin from sun damage.
The
newest thing in moisturizers is liposomes. They’re little spheres of lipids.
They look like little bubbles that can restore the lipid layer but also can
carry active ingredients inside them introducing a whole new spectrum of
ingredients. These ingredients are vast and can do all sorts of good things for
our skin.
A Moisturizer for Every Skin Type
So what do we need based on
our skin type? Each skin type needs a different type of moisturizer because
each skin type has different needs.
Here’s what I suggest with
every skin care selection. Don’t look for a certain product because this can be
deceiving since manufacturers make claims that can’t be proven. Instead of
looking for a product, look for ingredients.
Dry Skin – Dry skin is
usually caused by an impaired barrier. The skin is dry because the barrier is
not producing enough oil and it’s impaired. The barrier being impaired makes
the person with dry skin susceptible to TEWL. So these people need a moisturizer with hydration, oil and they
need a barrier cream or something to coat and protect.
Try to look for ingredients
like hyaluronic acid (attracts water and locks it into the surface), fatty
acids, Copper PCA (a powerful humectant that brings moisture from the atmosphere
into skin), Glycerin (a highly effective humectant present in all
natural lipids. Attracts just the right amount of water to skin to
maintain balance. Forms a natural barrier that keeps moisture in and skin
smooth), Lecithin (helps
improve the skin's barrier function) and Shea butter.
Oily Skin – This type of
skin has a barrier that is overactive. The barrier is producing an excess of
the natural oils and because of that skin is oily and greasy. This can cause
the follicles to get clogged with oil. Oil, debris and dead skin cells can get
stuck together and clog pores and people with oily skin will then have
breakouts because of it.
Many people think they have
oily skin if they get a little shiny sometimes. You can label your skin oily if
an hour after you wash it, it’s oily. If you start getting oily hours later,
odds are you have combination skin.
So many people think the
solution is simple, get rid of the oil. But it’s not that easy. You don’t want
to strip away all of the oil because that’s what’s protecting your skin. It’s a tough balance to find when most
products geared towards oily skin are harsh and can strip and damage skin. What
often happens when people try to get rid of the oil is that the skin starts
producing more oil to make up for it.
People also think that they
don’t need to moisturize if they have oily skin and that’s also not true. You
need to moisturize in order to keep your skin balanced so it doesn’t try to
over compensate and produce more oil.
Unfortunately, our skin
types can’t be changed. They are genetic and can only be controlled. The trick
to moisturizing oily skin is to control the oil. Oily skin obviously isn’t
lacking in oil so you will need a moisturizer that is light and oil-free. This skin type can really benefit from
products that control oil. Look for ingredients like salicylic acid. In small
amount this ingredient will eat oil and will control the oil. Warning: using
anything over 1% salicylic on a daily basis can over process, so stick to safe
levels.
Combination skin - This is a combination
of 2 skin types. Most of these types are oily in the t-zone but normal or dry
in other areas. This skin type needs to be balanced. This skin type needs an
oil-free, light weight moisturizer that will balance the skin. Look for these
ingredients: Lactic Acid and Amino Acids (provide lightweight hydration that
helps keep skin in balance), Dimethicone (An oil-free,
moisturizing ingredient that helps protect and condition skin and self-adjusts to
absorb only where needed) and Water-Soluble Silicones
(oil-free, noncomedogenic ingredients that replenish moisture, prevent further moisture loss and self-adjust
to skin’s needs, absorbing only where needed).
Sensitive skin – This skin type is really unique. Sensitive
skin can be related to impaired barrier function of the skin’s surface layers.
Without this protection, skin becomes dry and easily irritated. Barrier
function can be diminished through intrinsic ageing, sun exposure, climatic
conditions and the use of skincare products that remove skin lipids (sebum) and
cause irritation.
Sensitive
skin types need a moisturizer that will help
fortify the
skin barrier function, contains no known irritants or sensitizing agents and are very mild.
The perfect moisturizer would hydrate, moisturize and protect without
irritating. Look for some of these ingredients: Hyaluronic
Acid and Glycolipids (encourage the skin to attract and retain vital moisture),
Lecithin (helps improve the skin's barrier function) and Chamomile Extract and
Arnica (soothe and improve suppleness).
Steps to moisturizing
After you cleanse your
face, you should immediately tone and moisturize. If you leave it too long
after cleansing without doing this, the moisture can evaporate, taking your
skin’s natural moisture with it. Apply the moisturizer to your entire face as
well as your décolleté.
