Moisturizing! What Happens When You Don’t Do It?

Moisturizing is a must! Not least because it makes your skin look great, but because it has multiple benefits. The skin is your biggest organ, and that’s why you must give it the proper care it deserves. The skin plays a crucial role in protecting your muscles, bones and other organs. It also sheds off bacteria from your pores, helps the body regulate temperature, and thanks to its many nerve endings – the skin allows you to feel harmful elements in the environment like extreme heat, pain, cold, or dryness.

Hence, moisturizing your skin and keeping it hydrated is essential to your overall health.

Oily Skin vs Moisturizer Theories

There is a common misconception that suggests moisturizing is bad for people with acne and oily skin. However, that is far from the truth. At any time, your skin needs a good amount of oil, also known as sebum, to keep it soft, healthy and balanced. Your body acts as a natural source of oils that hydrate your skin, lubricate the skin surface and shed off excess dead skin cells through the pores. Although rare, the skin’s sebaceous glands can make too much sebum which, consequently, can cause a breakout.
Excess oil from a breakout can cause dead skin cells to stick, clog the pores, and get trapped alongside bacteria which in turn causes acne. In most cases, excess oils are the body’s response to an imbalanced or dehydrated skin and that is a warning sign telling you to moisturize daily and with the right moisturizer.

Moisturizing Just Feels Great

On top of all the benefits, moisturizing does feel great! No one should blame you for enjoying the aroma and the sensation of smooth, rich and effective moisturizer. Using a luxurious moisturizer after a long and cosy bubble bath should be reward enough for your skin care habits. It is also a perfect way to unwind and relax after a long day as not only takes care of your body but mind as well.

So, What Happens When You Don’t Moisturize?

1. You Lose the Protective Barrier

Some of the most reliable skin care ingredients; retinoids, benzoyl peroxide or salicyclic acid can dry the skin if used alone. To avoid the risk of uncomfortable side effects like red and peeling skin, always make sure to use them alongside a proper moisturizer.

To keep the protective barrier intact, these powerful ingredients should be allowed to work their magic but only if you follow them up with a quality moisturizer for maximum benefits.

2. You Risk More Wrinkles

You risk more wrinkles without a moisturizer as part of your skin care basket. When your skin stays dry, the protective barrier is compromised, and a low-grade form of chronic inflammation occurs within the skin. The ongoing inflammation causes collagen to breakdown which in turn, triggers and accelerates aging.

When this happens, more lines are formed from this exposure and this can sometimes be irreversible.

3. Makes Acne Worse

As mentioned above, excess sebum in rare cases can cause bacteria to stick and form acne.

Ironically, moisturizer is the only friend you will need when you have blemishes. In fact, the dryness caused by a lack of moisturizer causes acne to be worse.

If you are the type that doesn’t like feeling too greasy, take the time to pick the moisturizer that suits your needs.  If you have an acne prone skin, use an oil and fragrance-free moisturizer alongside your acne regimen.

4. Existing Wrinkles Become Worse

Skipping moisturizer can make your current lines look even worse than they are. Dehydrated skin is helpless and has no option but to display every wrinkle. By skipping the hyaluronic acid found in a common moisturizer, your skin loses the plump and lines look worse.

5. You Risk a Dull and Flaky Complexion

When it gets cold, humidity levels go sky high and this causes dry air. Without a moisturizer, this dry air will dehydrate your skin causing it to lose lipids. Lipids form part of your skins protective outer layer and losing them exposes your skin to irritants that cause flaking and redness. This is not the complexion that you want.

6. Possible Sun Damage

Nowadays, many moisturizers come packed with SPF in them. Skipping the common moisturizer means you are also missing out on a separate and unique sunscreen step. A moisturizer that doubles up as a sunscreen is perfect and is a welcome addition towards fighting sun damage on your skin.

7. Your Makeup Won’t Look as Impressive

The little lines under your eyes where the concealer creases can look worse if you apply base makeup without first hydrating your face properly. Makeup can stick in dry areas without consent or seep into fine lines. For great results, wait at least 4-5 minutes before you can use foundation as this will help your moisturizer and primer to absorb better and properly. This also applies well when using a lip balm before applying a long-lasting color lipstick.

8. Your Skin Will Itch Hopelessly

Remember that tight feeling you get when you have just stepped out of the shower? Imagine staying with that feeling all day long. Well, this will not only make you hopelessly uncomfortable, but the dry skin will make you start feeling itchy as well.

If the other reasons are not enough to convince you to start slathering on some much-needed moisturizer, the thought of such discomfort surely will.

How Do You Moisturize

With the right moisturizer by your side, one of the most reliable ways to nourish and hydrate your skin is by drinking plenty of water, daily. By hydrating your body on the inside, you are helping the skin hydrate on the outside. This applies when eating a healthy diet packed with skin-friendly foods like avocado, salmon, papaya, and nuts. These foods provide the body with the right balance of essential fatty acids, antioxidants, omega 3 fatty acids, and vitamin E, respectively.

If you live in a dry environment or climate, you can use a bit of creativity to stay moisturized.

A humidifier, for instance, can come in handy as you can use it to add moisture to the air and help keep your skin soft as a result. Some more practices to stay hydrated include utilizing a water-based makeup or a mild but gentle cleanser.

When using skincare products, dermatologist advice against products that contain either fragrance, alcohol, or both as they both hinder proper hydration.

Finding A Moisturizer

To get the most out of your skin care and moisturizing regimen, you need to find the right moisturizer for you. Beware though, as the market is populated by over the counter products that may come with unnecessary and sometimes potentially harmful ingredients.

We love using familiar, proven products that use natural, safe ingredients for effective results.  Any of Décolleté Cream Treatment, (perfect as an anti-aging skin care product for the gentle skin in your décolletage area) or the Gold Elements Mega Cream, a skin treatment cream that nurtures and helps restore the skin’s lost youth, should be great additions to your skin care regimen.

Conclusion

Moisturizing should always be part of your skincare routine. Whether you are looking to protect your skin against aging, heal or protect your most vulnerable areas or nourish your already fine skin as you enjoy the moisturizing sensation and health benefits, this is a perfect place to start.