We have a common misconception that oily skin means hydrated skin. However this is not true. Our skin can produce excess oil yet be dehydrated at the same time.
In fact dehydrated skin may trigger excess sebum production. The reason behind it is the fact that dehydration happens when the skin lacks water not oil. When the skin barrier is damaged and weakened, the transepidermal water loss (TEWL) increases and water escapes from the skin faster and easier. And in order to compensate for this water loss, sebaceous glands often produce more sebum in an attempt to protect the skin surface.
Often because of this, the dehydrated skin can appear excessively oily, congested and acne prone whilst feeling tight or irritated underneath.It is important to understand the difference between oil production and hydration as treating dehydrated skin as oily skin might actually make the skin worse.
Why does dehydrated skin produce more oil?
Sebaceous glands are responsible to protect the surface of the skin by producing sebum, a mixture of lipids which help reduce water loss and support the skin barrier. When the barrier gets damaged, the skin becomes dehydrated due to the water loss. The sebaceous glands get the signal and when this happens, to protect the skin, they increase the sebum production.
This extra oil is a temporary fix. It creates a protective layer on the surface to slow down further water loss. However while this causes the skin to become oilier externally, it will remain dehydrated in the deeper layers as the oil cannot compensate for the loss of water inside the skin.
The excess sebum often mixes with dead skin cells, causing the pores to be clogged thus increasing congestion, comedones and acne breakouts. This is the reason why dehydrated skin can appear oily and acne prone at the same time.
How can oil control products make damaged skin worse?
Oil control products often work by aggressively removing sebum from the skin surface. Products like harsh cleansers, alcohol based toners and physical or chemical exfoliants often disrupt the lipid layer of the Stratum Corneum (the outermost layer of the Epidermis) which helps maintain hydration and stability of the barrier.
As the lipid layer keeps getting stripped away, the trans epidermal water loss(TEWL) increases and the water loss becomes even more rapid. This will cause the skin to interpret it as sudden loss of hydration and oil as stress and the sebum production gets triggered at a higher rate. This is known as compensatory sebum production as the skin is producing more sebum to compensate for the moisture loss. And this oil will clog pores, cause more acne and congestion/
This creates a Repetitive cycle:
stripping the skin → increased dehydration → more oil production → more congestion → stronger oil-control products → further barrier disruption
This is why skin can become oilier over time even when using products specifically meant to reduce oiliness.
How to hydrate oily skin properly?
To hydrate oily, dehydrated skin, you need not add more oil to the skin. The right thing to do would be to restore the balance between water and lipids inside the barrier.
The lipid matrix between the skin cells starts to become unstable when the skin is dehydrated. The lipid matrix is naturally made up of ceramides, cholesterol and fatty acids inside the skin. They help seal the water inside the skin and to reduce the TEWL. If we keep stripping away the natural lipids occurring in skin due to harsh cleansing or overexfoliation, the skin will end up losing water more easily.
So the oily dehydrated skin needs both- humectants like glycerin or hyaluronic acid to attract more water and increase water content in the skin and barrier supporting lipids like ceramides and fatty acids to ensure the retention of the water inside the skin.
Squalene can also help restore the damaged skin barrier. At the same time ingredients like niacinamide can help support the skin through ceramide synthesis and regulate the sebum production, gradually helping the skin return to a balanced state.
Once the skin's hydration level restores, the sebum production will decrease on its own and your skin will go back to being its normal self. But this is a process that requires a lot of commitment, consistency and patience. Just how the skin did not get damaged overnight, it will not be restored overnight.
Signs your dehydrated skin is improving.
As the oily, dehydrated skin recovers, the skin barrier slowly becomes more stable and the TEWL begins reducing. While this happens, you may notice :
- Your skin feels less tight and dehydrated after cleansing.
- Reduction is excess oiliness gradually.
- Fewer clogged pores, comedones and acne
- The skin looks less greasy but feels more hydrated.
- Your make up sits better and evenly without any patchiness or flaking.
- Skin becomes less sensitive, irritated and reactive.
As hydration levels improve and the skin barrier repairs itself, sebaceous glands become less overactive, helping oily dehydrated skin feel more balanced over time.
Ingredients that help repair oily, dehydrated skin.
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Hyaluronic acid and glycerin - These ingredients are humectants. Humectants attract and hold water inside the skin to improve hydration levels and reduce dehydration.
- Ceramides, cholesterol and fatty acids - known as barrier lipids, these naturally exist in your skin in certain proportions and externally when you use these ingredients, they help rebuild the lipids matrix between the skin cells which causes the water loss to reduce.
- Niacinamide- A barrier supporting and oil regulating ingredients that helps increase ceramide synthesis, regulate excess sebum production and reduce inflammation along with supporting overall barrier function. This is the hero ingredient for improving your skin.
- Panthenol and allantoin - Panthenol is also a humectant. Its benefit is that it can go up to the dermis layer to hydrate your skin from within. And allantoin can help with soothing the irritated skin.
- Squalene - it is an emollient that helps soften the skin and support the lipid barrier ensuring that the skin does not feel heavy or greasy.
Using a combination of humectants, barrier lipids, soothing ingredients, and oil regulating ingredients helps to restore hydration balance more effectively.
FAQS
How to repair dehydrated oily skin?
To repair oily dehydrated skin, you need to ensure that your skin is not being overexfoliated or harshly cleansed. After that use barrier supporting ingredients like panthenol, niacinamide and squalene to ensure your skin barrier is hydrated from within.
How do I know if my skin is dehydrated?
If your skin feels irritated, red or stings after using certain products that you were able to use before, and if your skin looks tired, flaky or you have darker under eyes suddenly, there are high chances your skin is dehydrated.
Can drinking more water help dehydrated skin?
This is a common misconception that drinking more water can help with dehydrated skin. If your skin is dehydrated it means the moisture from deep inside your skin is missing. To ensure that your skin is hydrated you need to use ingredients that help maintain natural lipids of your skin intact.
Is it possible to have oily and dehydrated skin?
Yes, it is possible to have oily dehydrated skin. As your skin barrier is compromised, your sebaceous glands produce more oil to compensate for the loss and to protect your skin. Because of this reason your skin looks oily when in reality there are high chances that it is dehydrated.
