Dehydration

DEHYDRATED SKIN😨 The one skin care woe people tend to groan about on the regular. That's because dehydration spares no skin type—it simply refers to a lack of water in the skin, which anyone (regardless of age, skin texture, or tone) can struggle with. That said , dehydrated skin looks a little different on everybody, making it all the more difficult to pinpoint and treat. Here's exactly how to tell if your skin cells are begging for hydration 💦!

DULLNESS: Dehydrated skin may look dull, lack radiance, and may appear ashy if you have darker skin tone. That's because when your skin is parched, it'll focus all its attention on how to grasp more water—basic and essential functions, like cell turnover, are put on the back burner. As a result, you may have a buildup of dead skin cells, resulting in congested, dull skin.

PRONOUNCED FINE LINES: Dehydrated skin also tends to show accelerated signs of aging, like wrinkles and fine lines. Check the eye area, where the skin is thinnest and most delicate. Fine lines there can be a sign of dehydration!

FLAKES: This is where people tend to confuse their dehydration for dry skin. Allow me to emphasize: Just because you're experiencing dryness doesn't mean you have tried-and-true dry skin. Specifically, Dehydrated skin can be flaky on the forehead and that’s because the skin up there tends to be thinner than, say, on your cheeks or chin—so any zapped water loss may show up in the forehead area firstly.

EXCESS OIL: On the flip side, some people's skin can produce even more oil to compensate for a lack of moisture. The connection between hydration and breakouts, when your skin is dehydrated, inflammation tends to follow. That inflammation can release CRH (corticotropin-releasing hormone), a hormone that can actually tell your sebaceous glands to produce more oil. Thus, your skin may look more slick—and, oftentimes, clogged pores and breakouts aren't too far behind.

INFLAMMATION: when the skin is dehydrated, it tends to respond with inflammation which can show up via breakout buts it can also trigger some itching, soreness, and redness.