HEALTHY SKIN HAS A PERFECT OIL AND WATER BALANCE!
We frequently talk about balance in our lives. We balance our diets, balance the checkbook and try to balance our time. With all this talk about balance there is one more thing we need to balance and it is CRUCIAL. We need to balance our skin!
If our skin is not balanced, it can trick us into thinking it is one thing when it is not. Although we can discuss balancing the pH of our skin, but that is not the type of balance I want to talk about today. Today I want to talk about basic balance, which I believe to be our water-oil balance.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WATER AND OIL ARE NOT BALANCED?
Healthy skin has a perfect oil and water balance, which allows skin cells to do their job naturally and effectively.
If someone asks, you which skin type you have, what would your answer be? For most people it would probably be “I’m not really sure, it might be oily or dry”. Water-Oil balance is the basis of skin type, and once your esthetician has determined what your true skin type is, he or she can create a skin care regimen that will work FOR you and not AGAINST you.
UNBALANCED SKIN CAN CAUSE SKIN:
Become dull looking and increase fine lines
Rough texture
Redness
Dry patches
Flaky skin
Acne
All skin requires moisture from both water and oil in order to function properly and do everything from looking and feeling great to keeping us looking younger longer. Depleted or imbalanced hydration – lacking either oil or water – is the first thing that causes our skin to become dull looking as well as increasing aging and fine lines.
So when our skin doesn’t get enough moisture either due to environmental factors, intrinsic factors or simply the wrong skin care regimen our skin becomes weak and sensitive. If we don’t have proper moisture in our skin, the skin creates more oil to combat the dryness and dehydration. When our skin is out of balance it cannot defend itself from these factors and therefore can’t heal and protect itself from damage. This can lead to common skin concerns such as rough texture, redness, dry patches, flaky skin, and even acne. When these things happen, we panic and may resort to stripping cleansers, over-exfoliation, neglect, the wrong products, or a myriad of other things we think are helping, but in fact are causing more problems. With all that said, here is what you need to know about water vs. oil in your skin.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WATER VS. OIL IN YOUR SKIN
There is an important relationship between water and skin. When your skin doesn’t have enough water it is dehydrated. Since our bodies are composed 70% of water it only makes sense that we need it for our skin also. After all, skin is the largest organ of our body. Our skin cannot produce moisture on its own and relies on moisture from the water we drink and moisturizers we apply. Environmental factors can also increase the dehydration of our skin. Things like heaters in the winter, smoking, travel, and dry air can also dehydrate our skin.
When our skin is dehydrated it does the best it can to compensate……it creates oil. So our skin is now dry AND oily. So we feel oily and do what we think is right which usually strips the oil and makes our skin even more dehydrated.
Now some people do just naturally have dry skin. Dry skin makes the least amount of its own oil. Normal skin produces a normal amount of oil and oily skin produces the most amount of oil. Age, smoking and weather conditions can cause our skin to produce less oil, and using harsh cleansers can also remove our skins natural oil. So when our skin lacks oil, that is when it gets sensitive, red, blotchy and have acne. So your skin creates more oil to combat the dryness and the dry/oily/dehydrated cycle just keep repeating!
SO HOW CAN YOU STAY BALANCED?
With a skin care regimen that is correct for your individual skin!
Finding products with the correct ingredients for your skin type, you may need to make changes during different seasons, and use the right amount of products. Too little can keep you dry and too many can be an overload.
Here at Sugar and Skin we offer a Consultation and Analysis so our Licensed Estheticians can examine your skin closely and create a regimen that will be right for your skin. If you don’t have time to visit our Chesapeake Spa, we offer an online skin consultation that offers free product samples. Make your appointment today!!