Introduction
Do you experience dry skin even when you use a high-quality, deeply hydrating cream? Believe it or not, this is a common issue, especially for people who have a dry skin type to begin with. If you’ve asked yourself, ‘Why is my skin so dry even when I moisturize?’ keep reading to find out about the causes and possible solutions.
There are many reasons why your complexion may remain cracked and flaky even if you use rich skincare for dry skin consistently including aging, lack of proper hydration, and overwashing. In this article, we’ll discuss the main reasons in detail, and then explain how to moisturize optimally to combat dry skin.
Why Is My Skin So Dry Even When I Moisturize?
While you may use creams or lotions for dry skin diligently twice daily as part of your regular skincare routine, other elements can prevent your complexion from being optimally hydrated. These include environmental factors like living in a dry climate or having excess sun exposure.
Additionally, you may have a very dry complexion that requires a different type of product. It’s also possible that the issue may lie in aspects of your skincare routine like excess cleansing or using harsh ingredients. We’ll discuss all of these factors in detail in the coming sections.
Is Dry Skin The Same As Dehydrated Skin?
Dry and dehydrated skin are not the same, although they do have some things in common. The complexion becomes dry when there is not enough natural oil production from the glands. On the other hand, dehydrated skin is lacking in water, not oil, but it can ultimately lead to dryness.
Even if you regularly moisturize your dry skin, the underlying disruptions in the moisture barrier and oil production may still exist. It’s important to look at other possible causes to answer the question, ‘Why is my skin so dry even when I moisturize?’
What Are The Causes Of Dry Skin?
Some people have a naturally dry skin type, which requires additional care to keep hydrated. However, dry skin can also occur because you don’t drink enough water, or because you live either in a very hot or very cold climate that zaps the moisture from your complexion. In addition, indoor heating and air conditioning systems may contribute to drying out your skin.
Dy skin can also be caused by lifestyle factors like smoking, which can disrupt the moisture barrier or fluctuations in hormones. One scientific article [1] described the pathophysiology of dry skin in dermatology.
The key to your dryness may also lie in your skincare routine. For example, some creams and lotions for dry skin include chemical or artificial additives that can harm your skin by stripping its natural oils, so they fail to adequately hydrate your complexion.
How to Deal with Dry Skin?
Naturally how you deal with your dry complexion will depend to some extent on the causes, and methods like avoiding very hot or cold showers and using a humidifier can help. However, making modifications to your skincare routine like avoiding products with harsh chemicals, exfoliating regularly, not over washing, and using skincare for dry skin can make a significant difference.
If you’re looking for a powerfully hydrating moisturizer, you can reduce dry skin with Infusoderm daily formula and also experience its powerful anti-aging benefits. To understand how all of these changes can help, let’s look at the main reasons your skin can remain dry even when you moisturize regularly.
8 Reasons Your Skin Is Dry Even When You Moisturize
Have you often wondered, “Why is my skin so dry even when I moisturize?” These are the most common reasons that your cream is not enough to keep your skin adequately hydrated. Modifying some of these issues should help significantly in enhancing your moisture levels and overall skin health.
1. Over-Cleansing
While you should certainly cleanse your face in the morning and evening, be careful not to wash more often or over-scrub your complexion. Doing this can strip your skin of the key oils it requires to stay hydrated, leading to dry skin in many cases. Paradoxically, in some, it can lead to excess oil production as your skin tries to overcompensate, possibly causing acne breakouts.
2. Overwashing
Similarly, taking lengthy showers or overwashing your hands also disrupts the moisture barrier and slows oil production. This can make your skin feel tight as it loses hydration, and could also irritate. Unfortunately, hand sanitizer is no better as it also causes dryness. Use soap and water instead, limit washing time, and apply a gentle chemical-free moisturizer to your hands afterward.
3. Using Harsh Cleansers
When you’re choosing skincare for dry skin and even personal hygiene products like hand-washing soap, make sure to avoid items with harsh ingredients like fragrance, chemical additives, sulfates, artificial colors, or alcohol. These substances can strip the skin of its natural oils and cause it to dry out, defeating the purpose of using them.
4. Exfoliate Away Dead Skin Cells
If you’ve gone through the list so far and are still asking yourself, ‘Why is my skin so dry even when I moisturize?’ you may not be exfoliating your skin often enough. While over-exfoliating can be harmful, once or twice a week is ideal as it removes the dead cells that can build up on the skin’s surface and block the moisture barrier. After exfoliating you can reduce dry skin with Infusoderm hydrating cream.
5. Aging
As we age, the skin loses moisture as levels of hyaluronic acid decline. This natural molecule in the skin draws massive amounts of hydration, so when it decreases the skin can dry out more easily even if you moisturize regularly.
Combatting the dryness that comes with age requires potent anti-aging skincare for dry skin with ingredients like ceramides to rebuild the moisture barrier and hyaluronic acid to hydrate. A scientific article in Dermato-Endocrinology [2] discussed the important role that hyaluronic acid plays in skin aging.
6. Not Drinking Enough Water
Not drinking enough water daily can cause your skin to become dehydrated, and dehydration can lead to dryness. In addition to taking care of your skin, you should also drink at least 6-8 glasses of water daily to maintain optimal hydration levels. A one-month study [3] on healthy women concluded that increased water intake positively benefited skin physiology.
7. Your Skin Might Need A Different Product
If you use a cream consistently and you are still asking, “Why is my skin so dry even when I moisturize?” there’s a good chance that you are simply using the wrong formula for your skin. Look for a product with more hydrating ingredients like glycerin and hyaluronic acid, and use creams instead of lotions for dry skin as they tend to be thicker and richer. In addition, look for an antioxidant-rich formula to help reduce dryness and lessen signs of age.
8. Certain Skin Conditions & Medication
There are several medications for which dry skin is a possible side effect, including birth control, diuretics, topical steroids, retinoids, beta-blockers, cholesterol pills, chemotherapy, radiation, and others. Check with your physician to see if anything you take could be causing the issue, as there may be an alternative.
How To Moisturize The Right Way For Dry Skin?
For optimal skin hydrating benefits, follow up your cleanser with Maxatone Clarifying Toner to remove dirt and dead skin cells and prepare your skin for the product. Before using your moisturizer, add a serum to boost the hydrating effects of the cream. Apply the moisturizer as your final step, and it should help enhance the nutrient and anti-aging effects of the serum. You can reduce dry skin with Infusoderm hydrating formula, as well as decreasing signs of age and boosting overall skin health.
Ingredients To Avoid & To Use When Picking Moisturizer
Not all moisturizers are alike, and it’s important to look carefully at the ingredient list to ensure that the formula is safe, deeply hydrating, and boosts overall skin health. Use creams instead of lotions for dry skin, and avoid products that have potentially irritating ingredients like sulfates, parabens, phthalates, and artificial fragrances. Look for a formula that includes some of the following ingredients:
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Hyaluronic Acid - This humectant exists naturally in the skin but declines with age. It draws massive amounts of hydration to keep the complexion moisturized. A review of the literature [4] showed the deeply hydrating and rejuvenating benefits of hyaluronic acid.
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Algae or Seaweed - Algae has potent free radical-killing antioxidants that repair and protect the skin, and it’s also a powerful humectant that draws additional moisture. One review [5] discussed the great hydrating and skin health benefits of algae.
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Shea Butter - The fat from the African shea tree deeply hydrates the skin and locks in moisture. It’s also high in anti-inflammatory agents and antioxidants which soothe, repair, and protect the complexion. One study [6] showed that shea butter provided deep moisturizing benefits and was suitable for sensitive skin.
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Glycerin - This humectant compound draws large amounts of liquid to the outer layers of your skin for rich hydration benefits. One study [7] demonstrated the potent moisture retention benefits of glycerin.
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Ceramides - These are lipids that exist in the outer layer of your skin, and they both hydrate and keep the moisture barrier strong for longer hydration benefits. A research review [8] explored the functions of ceramides in the skin.
Other Ways to Hydrate Skin
Looking for more ways to keep your skin optimally hydrated? These are some important tips to keep in mind when planning your skincare routine.
Avoid Using Too Much Moisturizer
While you may be tempted to lather on the moisturizer hoping it has more hydrating effects, it can contribute to drying the complexion. This indicates to your skin that it is moisturized enough, and can cause it to produce less hydration on its own.
Moisturize After Bathing
Showering or bathing with hot water can dry out your skin, so it’s best to moisturize immediately afterward. Your pores are also more open after bathing, making it the ideal time for the skin to optimally absorb the formula. For the best benefits use deeply hydrating creams rather than lotions for dry skin.
Choose a Hydrating Toner
After you reduce dry skin with Infusoderm cream, follow up with a deeply hydrating toner to help the skin retain moisture for longer. We recommend Maxatone clarifying toner for its deep cleansing, purifying, soothing, and hydrating formula.
Add the Hydrating Serum Stemnucell to Your Routine
In between applying your toner and added moisturizer, use the rich dermal regeneration Stemnucell a hydrating serum. This formula will not only maintain but boost hydration levels and enhance the benefits of the moisturizer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my skin not absorbing moisturizer?
Most likely you are not exfoliating once or twice a week, so the buildup of dead skin cells is blocking your moisture barrier. Alternatively, you may need a more powerful formula with more deeply penetrating ingredients.
Why isn't moisturizer helping my dry skin?
If you have asked yourself many times, ‘Why is my skin so dry even when I moisturize”?’ it may be that you are using products with harsh ingredients, over-cleansing and overwashing, not exfoliating, or using a product that is not strong enough for your skin. In addition, check if any medications you take have dry skin as a side effect.
Why does my skin get dry so easily?
Dry skin may be your natural skin type, in which case you have to work harder to make sure it’s adequately hydrated. Other possible causes include very cold or very hot climates, inadequate water intake, not following a regular skincare routine, and using products with harsh ingredients.
Which moisturizer is best for girls?
Young girls in their teens should use a lightweight moisturizer that hydrates without including heavy oils that could clog the pores and lead to breakouts.
Conclusion
Once you understand the reasons your skincare for dry skin is not providing the hydrating benefits you expect, you can begin to implement changes in your routine and habits to reverse the problem.
Follow the tips and hydrating routine we have recommended and watch your dryness disappear and your moisturizer absorb deeply every time. With the right strategies and using high-level, quality skincare products from the Solvaderm line, you may never again have to ask the question, ‘Why is my skin so dry even when I moisturize?’
References
1] ↑https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17716284/
2] ↑https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3583886/
3] ↑https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4529263/
4] ↑https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/dth.15903
5] ↑https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6266229/
6] ↑https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5933397/
7] ↑https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-13452-2
8] ↑https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12553851/
Melissa Feldman
Melissa Feldman lives in Toronto, Canada and works as an independent research writer. She has undergraduate degrees in both Teaching and Psychology, and a Master’s degree in Immigration. Melissa is skilled at writing compelling articles and producing academic, marketing, and creative content. She writes about a range of lifestyle topics, including health, fitness, beauty and nutrition. She has more than two decades of experience reviewing and editing publications intended for both public and professional audiences.
