ViaBuff Skin Care Guide: Dry Skin

Dry skin is a condition of decreased water content in the uppermost layer of the skin, the stratum corneum. This leads to abnormal structural changes in the skin, including increased fatty acid content and decreased ceramide levels. Moreover, these changes can lead to impeded barrier function of the skin, meaning that skin can feel more easily irritated, reddened, extra dry, or sensitive.

Agents that can exacerbate dry skin include hot water, detergents, friction from clothing, frequent air travel, pollution, certain chemicals, and air conditioning (Cosmetic Dermatology).

What can be done about dry skin?

1. Limit the length and temperature of your showering and bathing

Although pleasant, hot water can rob your skin of much-needed moisture. Try to limit yourself to water that is warm at best for no longer than 10-15 minutes, according to the University of Iowa Health Center.

2. Use bath oils

Dr. Audrey Kunin, a Kansas City-based dermatologist, suggests using a tar bath. “The tar helps alleviate the itching and flaking, while the oil base helps hydrate dry, cracking skin.”

Avoid soap, which can be drying.

3. Switch between two different kinds of body moisturizers

After you towel dry, increase the moisture content in your skin by applying the right moisturizersimmediately.

Use “passive protectants” during dry periods to hydrate and enhance the skin barrier, with ingredients like glycerin or dimethicone. Then, when skin is more calm, switch to an “active moisturizer” to exfoliate and soften the skin, like a moisturizer with lactic acid, glycolic acid, or niacinamide.

4. Evaluate your environment

Humidifiers can help to infuse dry fall and winter air with much-needed moisture.

5. Exfoliate.

Dry skin is a sign that skin is not turning over properly. It is vital that skin is exfoliated.

Steps on How to Exfoliate Dry Skin

1.) Start with a clean, dry face.

Use a cleanser designed for dry or sensitive skin. These cleansers tend to contain less drying ingredients.

2.) Use a Level 3 (dry) or Level 4 (very dry) ViaBuff exfoliator. 

The ViaBuff Facial Buff only increases the efficacy of your existing cleanser, with 60% more surface area than the average buff, and open-cell construction that is customized to your skin care needs! It’s amazing to use with your cleansing or exfoliating products daily. And considering each puff lasts 30% longer than the average competitors’ puff, it’s a solid investment in beautiful skin!

3.) Do NOT use a toner.

Dry skin does not require a toner.

If you have very oily skin, you are definitely likely to benefit from a toner, because they contain ingredients like brightening gluconolactone and oil-balancing ingredients like oatmeal.

If you have normal or combination skin, you are likely to benefit from using a toner only on oily areas of your face, and avoiding dry areas altogether. A relatively safe bet is a toner with witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana), which contains tannins that act as natural astringents, gently drying out oils within the skin (Archives of Dermatology, 1998). Witch hazel also has anti-inflammatory properties, making it soothing and calming to the skin (Complimentary Therapies in Medicine, 2000).

But if you have dry to very dry skin, I would skip a toner altogether. Despite popular belief, toners do not aid the rest of yourskin care regime, as verified by Dr. David E. Bank, M.D., director of the Center for Dermatology, Cosmetic and Laser Surgery, in Mount Kisco, New York: “There’s no truth to the theory that toners prep the skin or help other products penetrate better.” (RealSimple.com, 2010)

4.) Apply serum or moisturizer.

Remember to apply your products lightest to heaviest, with the exception of sunscreen, which should always be applied last.

Using the ViaBuff exfoliator allows you to customize the level of exfoliation you need. For dry skin, we recommend the ViaBuffLevel 4 Clinical Exfoliator. The ViaBuff is designed to be a gentle, effective way to remove dead skin cells, dirt, sebum, and debris on the surface of the skin, without using irritating or drying chemicals.

Can I Use the ViaBuff with My Existing Skin Care?

Absolutely.

Think about it this way: If you are applying a moisturizer to non-exfoliated dry skin, it can’t get to the skin cells. Instead, it is resting atop years of accumulated dead skin cells, as well as more recent dirt, debris, and other particulate matter. Your skinmay feel temporarily more hydrated, but the moisturizing ingredients can’t penetrate your skin to do any work. It’s just drawing in moisture from the surface!

But once dirt, debris, sebum, and dead skin cells are removed from the skin’s surface, the resulting skin has just the right pH balance and moisturization level. The clean surface and the natural skin oil that linger dissolve your favorite oil- or water- based skin treatment, allowing the moisturizing ingredients to reach your skin to do effective work.

The result? Beautiful, healthy skin — faster.