Why hydration is so important and why it's absence could be
contributing to your breakouts:
Hydration
is the number one missed step I see
in skin care routines, especially routines that are supposed to be targeting
acne. Dehydrated
skin contributes to the vast majority of skin
problems
and for some, is a major trigger of acne! It is
certainly a major cause of congestion and
blackheads.
Without
hydration, you’ll never have a balanced skin.
Why water, aka
hydration is so important for people with acne prone skin…
1)
Balance and why you may have oily skin!
To be healthy, glowing, and radiant, our skin
needs a balance of water (inside the skin) and oil (just outside the skin).
When we don’t have enough water, our skin often reacts by pumping
out more oil to make up for the lack of water. Oil acts as
a protective layer for the skin, and if the skin isn’t able to hold on to
enough water, our skin thinks “uh oh! Time to fix up that barrier!” cue the
flood of oil!
2) Congestion, blackheads, and breakouts!
The second reason that hydration is important,
especially for acne prone skin is that for our pores to remain clear, oil
needs to pass through them (on the way to the surface of the skin) without
being held up or slowed down by anything. When our skin is dehydrated, our
pores aren’t well lubricated. Oil can’t pass through them as easily as we would
like. When the oil is slowed down (or gets caught up by dead skin cells that
haven’t been flushed from our pores), it runs the risk of drying up. This
creates a hard plug or blockage inside the pore.
Telltale signs that your skin needs topical
hydration:
- Flaky skin
- Dry Skin
- Oily Skin
– Remember what I said
about our skin pumping out more oil to make up for the lack of water? If
your skin is oily, hydration is an absolute MUST to slow down the oil
slick.
- Oily yet dry skin
– This often feels like
the skin is a bit tight yet it’s oily to the touch. It can show up as skin
that’s oily yet it also has flaky patches. This is especially noticeable
after washing your face or applying makeup.
- Congestion
– Clogged pores,
enlarged pores or pores that appear larger because they have a build up of
oil/dirt/debris in them.
- Acne
– Where congestion,
oil, dry skin, or flakes are, acne isn’t far behind.
- Skin that doesn’t feel
moisturized -
no matter how much moisturizer you use
- Skin that absorbs moisturizer
quickly yet -
still feels like it could use another big helping of
moisturizer later in the day (or night)
- Your skin doesn’t feel plump
or appears dull -
When our skin is well hydrated, it has a smooth, almost
dewy appearance. It looks full (not shallow), supple, and bounces back
easily when touched. If your skin doesn’t feel smooth, there’s a good
chance it’s dehydrated.
Just about everyone in Canterbury suffers
from dehydration due to the dry climate here so having a serum like Hero that
is packed full of hydration can really make a difference and be the key step
you are missing to get the best out of your skin.
