did you know BP is also considered a re-epithelization agent, meaning it helps heal wounds? I leave it running in my room, and it helps cut back on the dryness / dehydration I experience when Christmas time be wrecking havoc on my skin. A quote from one study: “In vivo, we observed that topical treatments with a formulation containing N-acetyl-glucosamine (NAG) led to an increase in skin moisturization, a decrease in skin flakiness, and the normalization of stratum corneum exfoliation… We propose the use of amino sugars such as NAG as alternative compounds to replace the use of alpha-hydroxy acids in skin care.”. Oh, and did I mention it also increases collagen production and does comparatively better than antibiotics when treating acne. This is made up of about 40% amino acids, 12% sodium PCA, 9% glycerol, and 8.5% urea (among other things). In other words, it’s your first line of defense against sh*tty weather, chemical irritants, sun exposure / damage, and harsh skincare products or medications. I kind of disagree, but that’s a topic for another time. I love the science (I’m a PhD in biochemistry) and even though I’m middle aged and my skin concerns are the absolute opposite of yours, your blog is so helpful and informative I find it a fabulous resource. all of which can contribute to dehydrated skin. Could relate to a lot of those quotes having gone through the process of quitting actives, and focusing on fixing my moisture barrier. I also find the inside-outside approach is important, my skin bounces back pretty fast from being abused or neglected if I am giving it the fatty acids it needs in my diet (oily fish, whole eggs, walnuts, seeds).”—u/Firefox7275, “I started using a konjac sponge along with some cleansing milk in the shower, followed up with a toner, then some essences and a light moisturizer. One study found that controlled release of benzoyl peroxide through a polymer system significantly reduced it’s irritation without sacrificing efficacy. “More often than not [dehydrated skin is] the result of using skincare products that contain harsh or skin-sensitizing ingredients. In fact, remember those awesome little ceramides we spoke about earlier? Just a trove of information! Hi all! “Flaky dry patches on the forehead can be from chronic sun damage which occurred many years ago, and these look like skin colored to pink or brown rough patches that feel like sand paper,” explains Dr. Kally. In other words, the more you cleanse, and the harsher the cleanser you’re using, the worse off you’ll be. Most people will say you should avoid any kind of physical exfoliation if you suffer from dehydrated skin. Sometimes longer! This site may contain third-party advertisements and links to third-party sites. I was also using Skinoren, which I loved as a gentler option to BP, but after a while I realised I had kept using it even though inflammatory acne was no longer a concern for me. It’s basically saying that some skin diseases like rosacea or psoriasis have such intense internal causes, that completely healing the SC is almost impossible with only topical treatments. Either from using too many products, the wrong kind of products, or irritating products all of which impact the SC to some negative degree. Finally, a seborrheic dermatitis flare will have a vague orange or salmon colored tinge to it, while an AK usually is on the spectrum of pure pink or light magenta. By Sunday evening, my acne was noticeably better. iFINALLYmadeAcomment Source: iFINALLYmadeAcomment 36. This was the biggest thing that helped. 3. Where do you stand on silicones and their like (such as cyclohexasiloxane, etc?) I know your derm suggested to try another topical, but right now, you need to focus on fixing your moisture barrier. Yet another ingredient I’ve written a super duper long article about that you should check out. That is, leaving it on for 5 minutes so it can still kill acne-causing bacteria and work it’s keratolytic magic, but washing it off before it starts to cause ALL KINDZ of dryness. I had been using the Cerave Foaming Cleanser for quite a long time, twice daily, but realised that even a foaming cleanser with such a good reputation could still be over-stripping my skin. Fatty alcohols are A-okay! Avoid Scars & Speed Recovery, Probiotics for Skin: Choosing Which is Best for You, Why the pH of Skin and Products Are Crucially Important (2020 Updated), Chemical Peels At Home Explained (13 Studies): EVERYTHING You Need to Know, Clarisonic Mia 2 (Thoughts After 2 Years), Cosrx Galactomyces 95 Whitening Power Essence. Orat. It’s very unlikey to give you problems when used on it’s own, however. The problem is, after that I feel the need to clean my face really well and purify it with clay masks and whatnot and that may have screwed up my SC. The small amount of urea in the Hada Labo is all I need. I foresee the Muslim fading in a few months to a year. I scanned through the list of skincare on your Malasezzia post and this one, then went out and got myself the Bioderma Micellar Water, Hada Labo Premium Lotion, and Hada Labo Perfect Gel (it’s the Asian equivalent of the Skin Plumping Gel). So what kind of cleanser should you be using to accomplish all this? When I finally accepted that my skin was very unhappy, I stopped all of that. Imagine your face painting or something nice. That makes it the most effective occlusive on planet earth, and it’s a time-honored ingredient that’s here to stay. “Science of the stratum corneum (SC) has advanced exponentially due to the vision and dedication of a collection of leaders in the field of dermatology…. Oh yeaaaaaaah, and it helps fight off bad bacteria and similar microorganisms, as well as control skin inflammation. The Importance of The Stratum Corneum (SC). Note: iatrogenic means illnesses caused by, or related to medical examination / treatment . My skin feels totally new. (click the photo to see why that baby is freaking out ). I congratulate you for that. My skin used to feel so dry, tight and dull after cleansing in the morning, but since I’ve switched to not using a cleanser in the AM, my skin retains all the moisture put in through the products used in my PM routine, instead of it just being washed away. Their cleanser also sounds simple and promising. It’s the second most widely prescribed acne medication in the world, (39) and for good reason — it’s super effective and has years of clinical efficacy! Just keep in mind that vaseline and other occlusives trap everything underneath the barrier they form, so it’s very important that you apply them to clean, freshly washed skin at the end of your routine. In fact, one of it’s main purposes is to form a barrier to protect underlying tissue from infection, dehydration, chemicals and mechanical stress. I’ve also used Stratia Liquid Gold in the past and I think my skin tolerated it fairly well – would that be more appropriate for barrier repair, or do you think it’s aggravating for Malassezia? What about the flakes? This is my routine: PM We will discuss how you can still treat acne during this transition period a bit later, so hold on to your little bottoms! Like I said, I’ve never tried this so don’t really have any. I suggest staying away from anything else if you’ve never attempted OCM before. The Simple cleanser doesn’t create much of a lather at all, but I took that as a good sign, and I noticed that my skin felt less tight after switching the Cerave Foaming Cleanser out for this. Well then…. Do you think the AO probiotic spray would be useful or aggravating for Malassezia? Does that mean no night mask, or hyalaunic lotion (i.e. outside) factors that can cause epidermal damage is over-washing or over-bathing, especially when combined with use of poorly formulated or harsh cleansers, especially true soaps, which are alkaline. It’s cheap, available almost anywhere, and super effective. A heart began to beat. Maybe the urea can’t make up for the other malasezzia fuel. There are a few points here that I’ve discovered on my own over the course of the past few months ever since I decided I needed to do something drastic to address my dehydrated skin condition. Imagine an infant has been glued to your face and treat it accordingly! Why does my skin get tight, dry and sensitive? ), Shaving (I am a guy, and must say you ladies are missing out. Otherwise I’ll look into ordering some CeraVe and probably the Hada Labo products you’ve suggested as well, to try when I’m back from my trip. Paula’s Choice summarized it well by saying, Dehydrated skin is often accompanied by more than normal or even excessive amount of oil on the skin’s surface. I really think the culture of “as many products as possible” that /r/SCA has adopted is damaging for most people. Anything else that is sensitizing like menthol, lemon, baking soda, toothpaste etc. But in the meantime, here’s a good video explaining what it is and how to do it (bonus points for the ASMR it gives me haha). Thankfully I still had a tube of the yellow Senka sunscreen, so that’s now my new routine. Ceramides are the most abundant part of the lamellar sheets present in the intercellular spaces of the stratum corneum. (16) All of these play a crucial role in hydrating and maintaining healthy skin. There are many other ways to reduce the irritation of cleansing skin, so let’s continue. How To Fix Dehydrated Skin According to Science: GET YO’ GLOW HOMIE, Probiotics For Skin Explained (60 Studies): Everything You Need to Know in 2020, How to Get Rid of Acne Overnight With Black Voodoo Magic. “You need to focus the most on hydration now. Alternatively, you can do the double oil cleansing method! To prove a point son! I think many others would agree. I myself had one of these, between the eyebrows where the skin is oilier. Thank you so much for your super thorough, super helpful posts! (41). SAP is able to reduce this sebum oxidation by up to 40%! Dehydrated skin is also a symptom / condition NOT a permanent skin type! My skin has never felt more hydrated. Now that harsh actives had been removed from my routine, this step was a lot easier to undertake because I was now no longer having to compensate for the dryness of a retinoid like Differin by using thick moisturisers and occlusives. A couple fixes for this: Unlike cleanser or chemical exfoliation, this is a gentle way of removing excess oils without compromising the SC. I thought for the longest time that they were contributing factors to my acne…nope, it was other ingredients that I thought were harmless! None of this scrub-the-sh*t-off your-face stuff! My skin looks better when I cut them out completely. Change your cleanser to something ultra gentle and pH-balanced. Good question! As of right now, my night time routine is: Dry skin around eyes is typically characterized by peeling flaky, scaly and usually itchy patches. Do you feel I missed other options for treating acne while simultaneously dealing with dehydration? A dermatologist can easily do this. Have a nice day, f.c! For those that don’t know, malassezia is a common yeast that lives on our skin that often causes fungal and / or adult acne, seborrheic dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis, and maybe rosacea (among other conditions). Estimates for what percentage of untreated AKs transform into malignancies vary, but the estimated figure never exceeds 10 percent. I know the idea of cleansing with just water might seem gross, but many people have had success with it. Dehydrated skin = little water content, and a sh*t ton of oil. This has made the biggest difference in how dry my skin is or isn’t. Loss-of-function mutations in the filaggrin gene are collectively the strongest and most widely replicated genetic risk factor for developing AD (atopic dermatitis / eczema).” (29). Is your face STILL covered in weird acne that doesn’t respond to anything? On the subject of ingredients that can replace the standard drying/irritating/barrier-compromising actives, on top of the PHA’s (gluconolactone and lactobionic acid) I’ve mentioned I want to also give a shout-out to n-acetyl glucosamine. Anyway, I now know way too much about skincare for my own good, but I’m really glad that I was able to help some of my friends with the knowledge I’ve gathered and by directing them to your site! Just try it, it might work! (33). What to Expect, Case Studies, and More Tips. These are made of the same material. That said, I do think I have a compromised barrier, and the impending dry winter weather in London isn’t helping me at all – my skin looks super dull and rough. How to Grow a Beard With Rogaine: The Scientific Guide. Finally rediscovered my true skin type, which is dry… and reduced the amount of oil I have lying on my fuce by the end of the day to pretty much non existent amounts. It’s supposed to be biome-friendly, and their moisturizer seems right up your alley, it’s an oil and essentially just a blend of squalane and caprylic. However, if possible, avoid physical exfoliation entirely or use it sparingly (once or twice a week). Anti-Acne Diet Based on 70 Studies (2020): What to Eat for Clear Skin! Another study compared 8% NAG to 10% benzoyl peroxide in treating acne, and while it wasn’t quite as effective as BP, it should be noted that the application of BP caused the typical side-effects of skin dryness, irritation, and redness, whereas NAG has the opposite effect and actually improves these. The rash was greatly reduced, and the flaky parts near my brow also was a lot less.