Importance of Moisturising

Moisturisers are the traditional staple of men's skin care product lines. But why does it matter how much moisture the skin has?
Lack of water in or around cells disrupts normal metabolism and tissue repair. Therefore, dehydrated skin has a decreased capacity for repair and regeneration.

By itself, dry skin is not the major cause of wrinkles and other signs of skin aging. However, since dry skin has a decreased capacity to heal, it is far more susceptible to various forms of skin damage such as sun exposure or harsh chemicals.

Furthermore, dry skin is also more prone to skin infections and irritants because it has many tiny cracks allowing the offenders to sneak in.

Even though moisturising won't lift your eyelids or reverse wrinkles, it will help slow down any further damage, and allow other treatments to work better. In fact, if your skin is excessively dry, most skin care treatments have far less chance to produce desired results.

Who needs moisturising the most?

Moisturising is particularly important when humidity is low as this promotes faster evaporation of moisture from the skin. In particular, dry weather, air conditioning and central heating call for extra attention to moisturising.

Also, not all people are created equal in terms of the need to moisturise. People with dry skin or even normal-to-dry skin need to moisturise regularly.

Dryness tends to increase with age. Most people over forty have some degree of skin dryness and must moisturise daily.

What are the best ways to keep your skin properly moisturised?

For best results, skin should be moisturised both from the inside and outside.

Moisturising from the inside means keeping the body well hydrated. When dehydrated, the body preserves the water supply to critical organs, such as the brain and the heart, but "cuts off water" to peripheral organs such as skin. Therefore, keeping the body well hydrated is an important part of keeping your skin well moisturised. Adequate fluid intake is key. However, just as important is to avoid foods and beverages that cause excess water loss.

Moisturising from the outside is based on proper use of moisturising creams and lotions. Unfortunately, most moisturising products are ineffective because their moisturising action lasts less than two hours after the application. We recommend using long-lasting moisturisers, which will keep your skin hydrated throughout the day even if applied infrequently.

Things that make skin excessively dry

• Don't wash your face with soap because it will strip your skin of the so-called "acid mantle", an oil-rich protective film that locks moisture inside the skin and prevents bacterial and other infections. Skin without the acid mantle dries up very quickly. Even plain water can make your skin excessively dry if you wash it too often.

• Do not use alcohol-based astringents, toners and aftershaves. Just like harsh detergents, alcohol removes the skin's acid mantle, leaving the skin very dry and prone to irritation.

• Do not expose your skin to excess sun and wind
  

Courtesy of Maxwell's Apothecary