As the ambient temperature and humidity decreases, naturally, we feel the dryness in our skin. We start to feel the change during this transition from summer to fall. Just drinking water may not be able to fully replenish the lost moisture. Nourishing foods and drinks, such as honey or Chinese herbal soup may help but a more direct method will yield better results.
How do we define skin dryness?
Water content of stratum corneum (that is the upper layer of the skin) lies between 15-30% normally. When water content of the skin is below the optimum level of moisture, the barrier function is disturbed, and the skin does not perform its primary function to an optimum level. This may manifest as flakiness, inflammation or itchiness.
Water in our body can be evaporated or diffused through epidermis to surrounding atmosphere. This is called transepidermal water loss (TEWL). Dehydration increases when water loss through epidermis is quicker than that received from the lower layers of the skin. In Autumn and Winter, with lower ambient humidity, the water loss through the epidermis is quicker than normal.
How to reduce TEWL?
Similar to using a cling film to keep the freshness of food, we need an occlusive layer on top of our skin to reduce water loss from upper layer of epidermis. An oil-based layer of protection, such as cream, butter or facial oil, will help alleviate the condition.
No one-size fits all
Skin dryness affects all skin types. Different skin type requires different level of occlusion layer. For example, an oil-in-water cream, of which water content is still the majority, could be enough for oily skin, while a cream with higher oil content or with oil as the majority phase would be recommended for normal skin in low humidity environment. For people with dry skin, pure nourishing oil or butter could be a good choice for them.
Comedogenicity of fatty oil and butters is another area to pay attention. “Comedogenic” is the likelihood of clogging hair follicles. Those with higher comedogenic ratings, such as wheat germ oil, cocoa butter, coconut oil, soybean oil and linseed oil, etc., would not be recommended for people with oily skin.
Some essential oils have been found to improve skin dryness, such as Rose absolute, Sandalwood, Patchouli and Vetiver, etc.
How to choose the best product to help your skin dryness?
There is no one-size fits all solution for all our unique skin types and conditions. We at JAN, with our individually crafted bespoke products, will provide the best solutions to meet your needs.
Talk to us to get expert advice and product that is tailored made for you.