Finding Balance: Can You Overhydrate Your Skin?

If there is one thing essential for beautiful skin, it’s to moisturise. When you wake up – moisturise. When you remove your makeup – moisturise. When you’re climbing into bed – moisturise. Middle of the day? You might as well moisturise. Or so you think.

Don’t get us wrong, moisturising is indeed vital for radiant skin. But, there is too much of a good thing. And it’s known as overhydration. If you don’t know what skin overhydration is, are worried you have it or want to avoid it, read on. We’re sharing signs of overhydration, how to prevent it and the best products for dry and dehydrated skin.

Skin overhydration, or skin maceration, is when too much moisture softens the derma barrier. This causes the cells to effectively disintegrate, irritating the face and allowing external factors access beneath the skin’s surface layer. The process can create a range of skin issues.

Absolutely! Skin overhydration happens fairly regularly in people who over-moisturise. However, it typically occurs after consistently misusing moisturiser rather than in a single skincare routine.

You have a natural skin barrier on the outer layer of your face, made of cells called corneocytes. These create a protective surface, holding moisture and shielding the skin against irritants.

Corneocytes are like sponges and absorb skin-loving ingredients. However, if you apply too much moisture, they swell up. The ‘sponge’ becomes waterlogged and can’t soak up anything else, so moisturising ingredients stay sitting on top of your face. This breaks down the structure of cells, allowing external factors to enter and inflame lower levels of your skin. Skin overhydration may also happen because of misinformation. If you are experiencing dry skin, you could be reaching for as many serums and conditioning agents as possible. Maybe your complexion is dehydrated, and you go overboard trying to fix it. Or it could be that you’re unsure whether you have dry or dehydrated skin and are using the incorrect products.

Signs of overhydrated skin

Having moisture-logged skin is confusing because it often looks dry. Therefore, you might believe that a lack of moisture is the problem. If you’re unsure, below are common signs of overhydrated skin:

• Uneven texture e.g., bumps
• Clogged pores leading to breakouts
• Blackheads
• Moisturising ingredients won’t absorb properly even if the skin feels dry
• Moisturiser sits on top of the face in small blobs
• Tight, desert-dry skin from a compromised skin barrier
• Excessive application of moisturising products, but you still have a dry face
• Extremely oily skin

How to fix skin overhydration

Correcting overhydrated skin is possible if you take the proper steps to restore and repair the lipid barrier. Here’s how:

Step 1. Stop using overhydrating products

The first step is to cut out products you feel are causing overhydration. This can be anything from serums to moisturisers.

Step 2. Slowly re-introduce your skincare products

If you’re not sure what is causing hydration overload, stop all products and introduce them gradually, one by one. Ensure you leave enough time between each product (about three weeks) to determine whether it is helping or hindering your skin.

Step 3. Keep your skincare routine simple

It’s no good cutting everything out only to overwhelm your skin with a twenty-step skincare routine. Keep it minimal, starting with just a moisturiser and SPF sunscreen.

Step 4. Go easy on the moisturiser

Using less moisturiser if your skin is extremely dry may feel counterintuitive. But if it is overhydrated, your cells need to repair. And they can’t do that if you constantly overload them with moisture.

Step 5. Give it time
Correcting overhydration can take time because you must wait for the derma barrier to heal. It repairs through cell turnover, which may take around three months. However, you can give the process a helping hand by using collagen skincare products. 

How to prevent overhydration

If you are recovering from skin overhydration or you want to avoid it, there are a few things you can do.

Firstly, do not over moisturise. Once in the morning and once in the evening is enough unless otherwise directed by a doctor or dermatologist.

Secondly, use the right moisturiser for your skin type.

Lastly, take notice of your skin. If it starts to change, you may need to adapt your skincare routine.

Is your skin overhydrated, dry, or dehydrated?

There are overlapping signs and symptoms with overhydrated, dry and dehydrated skin. Understandably, this makes it confusing to identify and treat skin issues. After all, cutting out moisture won’t fix the problem if you have dry or dehydrated skin. So, let’s look at the differences.

It’s essential to know the difference between dry and dehydrated skin so you can take action with the correct skincare products.

Dry skin

Dry skin is a skin type like combination, oily or normal skin. The cause is a lack of sebum production or oil. It usually happens from using harsh products, dry air and UV rays. You can switch skin types over the year. For example, you may have oily skin in summer, but the chilly weather gives you dry skin in winter.

• You may also experience:
• Dry or flaky patches
• A tight feeling across the face
• Lack of oil
• Uneven texture
• Blemishes
• Accentuated fine lines and wrinkles

Those who live in a dry climate (hot or cold) and use harsh skin products are more likely to have a complexion that feels dry.

Dehydrated skin

Dehydrated skin occurs from insufficient water or hydration in the corneocytes (cells that make up your lipid barrier). Any skin type can have dehydrated skin, including oily or combination. Dehydration is usually a result of irritating or harsh products, stress, not drinking enough water, UV damage and alcohol.

What are the signs of dehydrated skin?

• Tight feeling skin
• Dull complexion
• Sensitive
• Premature ageing (fine lines and wrinkles)
• Increased appearance of skin creases
• Oily nose and temple, but your face feels parched after using skin products

Best ELEMIS products for dry or dehydrated skin

If you have dry or dehydrated skin, you need hydrating skin products to restore and lock in moisture. Below are our best skincare products, depending on whether you have dry or dehydrated skin. 

ELEMIS products for dry skin

Dry skin products must be gentle, conditioning and lock in moisture to prevent it from escaping. A dry skin type is easily irritated, so sensitive ingredients work best. Dry skin also requires a formula that draws water from the air to hydrate the lipid barrier and regulate oil production.

• Pro-Collagen Marine Moisture Essence - Our Marine Moisture Essence contains Flash Filler Hyaluronic Acid, a humectant that pulls moisture from the atmosphere and into your skin. It works incredibly quickly to hydrate and lift your complexion. In a clinical trial, the product doubled the moisture in participant’s skin, cushioning fine lines and wrinkles.
• Pro-Collagen Rose Micro Serum - The ELEMIS Rose Serum is enriched with Organic English Rose Oleo Extract. It contains 7,000 micro-droplets from twenty varieties of handpicked roses. The serum’s calming, antioxidant properties rehydrate for glowy, petal-soft skin.
• Pro-Collagen Toning Mist - Living in cold climates or excessive sun exposure can exacerbate dry skin. An essential step post-cleanse, this lightweight toning mist helps to replenish vital moisture and refine skin while reducing the appearance of pores. Enriched with our signature padina pavonica it delivers an instantly refreshing sensation and long-lasting hydration.
• Soothing Apricot Toner - Perfect for sensitive and delicate skin, this calming treatment toner helps maintain skin’s natural pH level without the use of alcohol or other harsh ingredients. This hard-working formula acts as a first layer of hydration, whilst also enhancing the penetration of your moisturiser.

ELEMIS products for dehydrated skin

Dehydrated skin products must be rich in ingredients that soothe and moisturise whilst protecting the compromised lipid barrier. This skin issue also benefits from antioxidants to shield cells against radical damage, which breaks down surface cells, causing dehydration. Here are a few of our favourite ELEMIS products for dehydrated skin:

• Superfood Multi Mist - This refreshing skin-enhancing mist has an aloe vera base that is incredibly thirst-quenching and contains natural anti-bacterial properties. We paired it with coconut water to revitalise and refresh the skin. The mist is ideal as a toner, primer or for setting make-up.
• Pro-Collagen Marine Cream SPF 30 - UV rays from sun exposure commonly cause dehydration as they break down the derma barrier, letting moisture escape. Our SPF Marine Cream protects the skin barrier with its luxurious gel-cream texture. This allows fast absorption and enhances hydration by up to 253% in just 1 hour.
• Superfood Day Cream - This vitamin-rich moisturiser brings a welcome hydration boost. Enriched with matcha tea, it replenishes and calms for a glowing complexion. In fact, in a 2017 independent user trial, 99% of participants agreed their skin felt softer, smoother, and more hydrated after using this day cream.

Your skin doesn’t have to suffer in silence. Whether you have overhydrated, dry or dehydrated skin, follow our tips to avoid moisture overload and repair a compromised derma barrier. Apply our products and heal the deeper layers of your skin for a luminous glow with ELEMIS.