If there’s one thing we hear day in, day out as an aesthetics and skincare clinic it’s “I moisturise regularly”. Please don’t.
We’re looked at like we have 2 heads when we say this, as it’s something most people have been conditioned to do their entire life. It’s something their mum does regularly, their grandmother before them. It’s advertised literally everywhere, glossy magazines, TV commercials – even the odd billboard will feature a women with a radiant face next to a moisturiser.
But the SCIENCE behind your skin means that adding in this artificial moisture can actually make your skin look and feel DRIER. So when patients say to us “I have terribly dry skin and I have to apply moisturiser daily” we instantly know that by removing the moisturiser and switching this for a HYDRATOR which contains Retin-A and anti-oxidants, we’re going to be able to fix this problem!
Think of an elderly couple you know. ‘He’ probably hasn’t moisturised a day in his life, and if he hasn’t been a sun worshipper and smoked, his skin will actually be alright for his age? Then think about ‘her’ skin. She’s moisturised every day religiously, but somehow her skin seems to have aged more, no?
The science goes a bit like this:
Within your skin you have proteins known as aquaporins. They work as little channels to control the natural flow of water across cellular membranes. In order for your skin to be healthy and happy, all the cells within it need to be fully functioning & doing everything they should be, and they need water to be able to do that. (Don’t forget, as we age this cellular function starts to slow down naturally, so we need to stimulate it and encourage it to keep on going).
When we add artificial moisture to the skin, these aquaporins ‘read’ the moisture level in the skin and think ‘hey, all’s good here today – we’re not needed just now’. And they don’t provide any hydration to the cells. Over time, your skin then starts to feel dry when you DON’T apply the moisturiser, because the aquaporins aren’t working anymore -they don’t know that they’re needed so they’re asleep. You then have to continue moisturising to balance it out, and it becomes a vicious cycle! It’s a bit like a steroid effect.
When we ask patients to stop applying these products and switch to a ‘hydrator’ instead (we use and stock ZO Skin Health by Dr Zein Obagi – it’s amazing) we always warn them that for the first few weeks their skin is going to feel dry. It’s GOING TO FEEL like it NEEDS to be soothed by moisturiser. But you HAVE to keep going, and then the aquaporins WILL wake up and think ‘hang on, something’s not right here!’ and they will slowly start to remember their actual purpose within your skin, and all of a sudden the dry spell will be over. Cellular function will be back to how it should be, naturally.
So PLEASE, don’t moisturise for anti-ageing purposes because it won’t work. Only apply these kind of products if advised to do so by a medical professional. And use good quality ‘hydrators’ instead.
To find out more about ZO Skin Health or how we can help to transform your skin simply email info@rejuvamed.co.uk or call your nearest clinic on Chorley: 01257 367460 / Clitheroe: 01200 538668
