Even though you moisturize regularly, is your skin still dry and flaky?

I believe you must have the habit of moisturizing, and you may even have a variety of moisturizing products piled on your desk. Why is my skin still dry even though I moisturize frequently and use a variety of skin care products? 🤔Before answering this myth, you must first know how moisturizing works.

Moisturizing = moisturizing the stratum corneum first replenishes and then retains moisture

Does moisturizing mean injecting moisture into the skin? Otherwise, moisturizing is actually moisturizing the stratum corneum of the skin. The stratum corneum is a natural barrier that protects the skin and retains moisture . It is composed of lipids naturally produced between keratinocytes and natural moisturizing factors. A healthy stratum corneum should have neatly arranged cells, and the lipids between cells can maintain a tight structure of the stratum corneum and resist the invasion of foreign objects such as bacteria and allergens.

There are natural moisturizing factors between the cells of the stratum corneum, which attract moisture from the air or the basal layer of the skin and then store it, making the stratum corneum full of moisture. The tight cell arrangement and interlaced structure of water and oil give the stratum corneum a natural and powerful moisturizing ability , forming a strong skin barrier and locking in moisture.

Moisturizing is drying out because the stratum corneum is damaged!

If you have done enough moisturizing, your skin will still easily become dry or even sensitive and peeling. This is because the stratum corneum has been damaged and has lost its ability to retain moisture! Various external factors, such as excessive exfoliation, excessive cleansing, and the use of too many different types of skin care products, will make the stratum corneum structure loose and fragile, making it unable to perform its role of moisturizing and locking in moisture. In addition to accelerating water loss, it also increases the chance of invasion of foreign objects, making the skin susceptible to sensitivity and inflammation, which in turn aggravates the damage to the stratum corneum, forming a vicious cycle.

How to repair cuticles?

If there is a leak in the ceiling at home, it needs to be repaired. If the stratum corneum is damaged and the skin loses moisture, it needs to be repaired to restore the strong and strong protective moisture-locking barrier. To repair the cuticle, the first key is to stop damaging the cuticle. The cuticle does not need to be intensively removed, but should be well protected. (To learn more, please read this article: Is the stratum corneum really thick, old, and useless? ) The second step is to use "real and effective" moisturizing ingredients to supplement the natural lipids and natural moisturizing factors in the stratum corneum. Moisturizing ingredients can basically be divided into two categories:

💧 "Wetting" moisturizer : ingredients with high hydrophilicity and high moisture absorption capacity. Common examples: glycerin, hyaluronic acid, hydrolyzed collagen, panthenol, PCA sodium

🔐 "Occlusive" moisturizer : an ingredient with high hydrophobicity that can prevent water evaporation. Common examples: molecular tincture, squalene, fatty alcohol, and petroleum jelly

Really effective moisturizing requires the use of moisturizing and occlusive moisturizing products at the same time to achieve "hydration" and "moisture locking" . If you only use a wetting moisturizer, without the protection of an occlusive moisturizer, the absorption of moisture from the dermis to the upper stratum corneum will increase, which will in turn speed up water loss and make the skin drier after moisturizing.

"Moderate and effective" moisturizing can allow the natural metabolism of the stratum corneum and reduce the occurrence of dryness and scaling. The keratin that can be naturally shed is very small, and no obvious flakes will be visible to the naked eye, but the skin will become smooth to the touch. As long as the skin barrier is repaired, the skin cells are arranged back to a tight structure, the water-locking mechanism is reorganized, and the skin's natural moisturizing power is consolidated, the skin can remain hydrated and stable regardless of the season or weather.