The best moisturizers for dehydrated skin

For people with dry skin, winter is not the most wonderful time of the year. Underneath their puffer coat, their knit sweater, and those extra-long tube socks, they’re hiding rough, flaky, tight skin. But what these individuals probably don’t know is that they’re likely suffering from dehydrated skin.

According to dermatologist and ethnic skin care expert William Kwan, there’s a significant difference between dry skin and dehydrated skin. He tells Yahoo Lifestyle, “Dry skin can be somewhat genetic or inherent in a person’s skin. Examples are patients with medical conditions like atopic dermatitis [eczema] or ichthyosis. They have to be careful to moisturize daily and consistently. Dehydrated skin is due to moisture being lost, possibly due to heat, long showers, or dry weather.”

Unlike what causes dry skin, which is itchy and red, the lack of moisture in the air and cranking up the heat on your thermostat can wreak serious havoc on dehydrated skin and make it harder to maintain moisture.

Dehydrated skin is a common but temporary condition that can be fixed, but slathering on any oils or lotions you can find won’t necessarily help. That’s why Kwan recommends using products that contain ceramides and humectants, such as hyaluronic acid and licochalcone. “These restore lipids and moisture back into the skin,” he says. “Colloidal oatmeal is also a good ingredient to help restore moisture and is readily found in moisturizing creams.”

Now that you know what exactly dehydrated skin is and how to treat it, click through to shop 10 of the best creams, gels, and butters to help replenish your skin’s moisture.

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

• How to Take Care of Sensitive Skin, According to Top Derms

• How a lupus diagnosis inspired this woman to ‘heal’ herself from the inside out

• Why I’ll never have to worry about body oil stains on my clothes again

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