Creator and founder of VivreSKIN Laboratories Mina-Jacqueline Au authored this story.
Having dry skin is very common amongst everyone and there could be a long, endless list of reasons for it. Dry skin can be caused by anything aging, using the wrong ingredients in your daily skincare products, having an underlying skin condition, and even showering in hard water.
Hydrating Serum Ingredients For Dry, Aging Skin
Retinol
Retinol is a fix all and anyone with any skin condition at any age can greatly benefit from it. But, be cautious: While the skin is being acclimated to retinol for beginner users, the skin can get worse in terms of dryness before it gets better. Those who are just starting out on retinol can experience very dry skin as a side affect. This side effect isn’t permanent. Retinol is not only for anti-aging. When used properly and used in the right dosage, it can help with a slew of skin issues.
In general, retinol will continuously help stimulate production of collagen, new blood vessels in the skin, and enhance skin care absorption. Retinol is one of the rare ingredients that you can benefit from even if you’ve used it for the last 20 years. There is no built up tolerance with retinol—only benefits.
Niacinamide
Niacinamide works directly to rebuild and maintain the skin’s protective barrier. After 29, our skin aging begins and as part of the aging process, along with environmental factors, the skin barrier will begin to break down. Once the barrier is broken, the skin will be more susceptible to damages as well as transepidermal water loss, which will cause dry skin. The key to anti-aging is preventing transepidermal water loss.
Hyaluronic Acid
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a humectant, which means it acts as a water binder. In fact, HA can hold as much as 1,000 times the water weight in the skin, creating a youthful and smoothening effect. However, it's important to know that hyaluronic acid should not be added without using a retinol. The reason being is that 95% of the HA sold (especially non-medical grade HA) are not made with any sort of science, technology, or biodegrade formulations where the HA molecules are small enough to go into the deeper layers of the skin where it changes the skin dynamic.
Basically, those HA products are very temporary and will not change the health of the skin. However, there are currently a few medical grade HA products where these brands have proprietary technology and formulations. Not only are they able to create that smoothness on skin immediately, but they can also regulate and stimulate the inside of the skin on a cellular level.
Tips When Using Serum On Dry, Aging Skin
When applying HA, make sure your skin is damp.
HA functions to bind water but we normally do not have water molecules just sitting on our faces. So, what happens? It begins to draw water molecules from inside the skin for binding. However, when it comes to water inside the skin, that's what the real hydrating and plumping is about. To draw water out of the skin, we are creating a new transepidermal water loss problem. The key is to keep water in. So, just make sure to damp your face before you apply HA.
Prioritize medical grade skincare products.
When it comes to shopping for your beauty needs, it's always best to buy medical grade skincare products since these are backed up by science and evidence. Experts in the field know that the dosage and actives are in fact in the products since they're supported by continuous lab studies.
Below are a few skincare product recommendations that are medical grade and have the active ingredients mentioned above:
•Retinol: Alastin Renewal Retinol - This retinol has been shown in regulated studies that it actually metabolizes as Retinol-A. It is a much more gentle, not irritating version of Retinol-A but it is still packed with all the Retinol-A benefits.
•SkinBetter AlphaRet Overnight Cream - Using retinol can be slightly bothersome at first with the skin dryness and flaking. When patients have sensitive skin, I always recommend SkinBetter because this retinol is completely irritation free.
•Niacinamide: SkinBetter AlphaRet Overnight Cream - Not only is this a retinol but it is also formulated with niacinamide. You can’t ask for better ingredients in one product!
•VivreSKIN Laboratories Nettoyant au Jasmin - Don’t underestimate the power of a face wash. It's an essential product in preparing the skin to receive treatments in your daily regimen. This one has a list of effective actives with niacinmide being one of them.
•Hyaluronic Acid: VivreSKIN Laboratories Drench Serum - This product is backed by endless clinical studies to show that it claims to smooth the skin at contact with long chain hyaluronic acid molecules. At the same time, it claims to protect and stimulate the inside of the skin with low chain hyaluronic acid.
