How moisturisers affect your skin

How moisturisers affect your skin

Moisturisers are available in a mind-boggling range with the goodness of ingredients such as vitamins, minerals, sunscreens, almonds, milk cream and plant extracts like vanilla, liquorice, berries, cherries and even exotic herbs.

They soften our skin and help in maintaining its healthy glow. Yes, moisturizers are available in a plethora of variants today; some claim to brighten your skin tone, some work hard to reduce the flakiness, some come with anti-ageing properties; whatever be their USP the bottom line is that moisturisers increase the skin's water content and encourage an orderly shedding of cells in the topmost layer resulting in silk-smooth skin.

Moisturisers protect our skin from drying up. When used regularly, they help in slowing down the skin'ageing process.

Dry skin is more prone to wrinkles; since, in dry skin the normal barrier function of the skin is disturbed, the layers of lipid in the stratum corneum are not formed normally. This means that water can more readily evaporate from the skin's surface, allowing the cells to dry out. It further leads to cracking and shrinking of skin surface and reduces the ability of the skin to act as a natural barrier against the entry of allergens, irritants and microbes in our body.

Mechanism of moisturisers

Irrespective of the variety, most moisturisers work in one or more of the following ways:

Occlusive

Contain oils such as liquid paraffin, soft paraffin, lanolin, coconut oil or emulsifying wax. These provide a layer of oil on the surface of the skin that prevents water evaporating from the skin surface. These will not absorb fully into the skin and may make clothes greasy but they are very effective, particularly if applied overnight.

Humectant

These contain ingredients such as urea, glycerine, lactic acid, glycolic acid or sodium PCA. These penetrate into the skin where they attract and retain water, thereby increasing the capacity of the skin to retain water. They are particularly useful for very dry skin.

Keratolytics

Such moisturisers have higher concentrations of urea, lactic acid and glycolic acid. They break down a skin protein called keratin. Keratolytic moisturisers break down the keratin in the hardened and thickened skin, helping to shed skin cells from these areas and soften and improve the appearance of dry, scaly skin.

Choosing the right moisturiser

Moisturisers come in varying formulations and types. There are two basic types of moisturisers: water in oil (W/O) and oil in water (O/W).

Depending upon the concentration of oil and water, different forms of moisturisers are available - lotions, creams and ointments. Although there is no 'right' moisturiser for everyone, and it may take a bit of trial and error to find the right kind that suit you best, knowing the difference between various forms certainly helps.

Lotions

Light and non-greasy, these are mixtures of oil in water and have a cooling effect. They are easily absorbed and good for mildly dry skin. They are also particularly suitable for hairy areas of skin such as the scalp or chest.

Creams

Creams are slightly thicker than lotions. They are generally non-greasy and get quickly absorbed and are often preferred to ointments when the season's hot and sticky.

Ointments

Thick, occlusive oil-based moisturisers that are best for very dry areas of skin, though many people don't like them as they find them too greasy.

How much and how often should you moisturise?

It depends upon the state of your skin. Generally, it is recommended that you should apply moisturisers liberally and regularly (at least twice a day) to prevent skin from drying out.

They are most effective when they are applied on moist skin, for example following a bath or shower, but they should also be applied at other times depending on how dry your skin is. Particularly dry skin may benefit from frequent application of greasy moisturiser every couple of hours.

Besides using moisturising bath additives and soap substitutes when you wash, will often provide maximum rehydration for the skin and help restore its barrier function.

(Inputs Courtesyr. Swati Srivastava, Dermatologist, Mumbai)

 

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