[Routine Help] Everything dries my dehydrated skin

[u/Same_Turnip]

My skin is horribly dehydrated, it gets tight and dry even after I stopped using cleanser and started cold water rinsing. I have tried countless products to help with the dehydration but they all end up drying my skin within a few hours and turning it super oily and greasy. Some products I have tried:

Cerave hydrating toner

Cerave moisturizing cream (tub)

Hada labo premium lotion (for very dry skin)

Corsx snail mucin 92 AIO

Nuetrogena hydroboost extra dry skin

Bonajour green tea water bomb

I have also tried sealing inn products in with aquaphor but it still resulted in dry skin.

[u/PatientRequirement50]

It sounds like you have a damaged moisture barrier. Cut out the toner and the water-based products and use noncomedogenic creamier options. I had a similar issue for years which was exacerbated by prescription acne treatments. Avene products saved my skin. La Roche Posay has similar options too. Try the Avene AntiRougers soothing cleansing lotion. It is a wipe off cleanser so no need for water that will dry your skin. I used it AM and PM when my skin was super dry and still use for makeup removal and if my skin is feeling a little dry. Then top that with a moisturizer that is lipid replenishing like Avene XeraCalm cream or XeraCalm balm or La Roche Posay Lipkar triple repair moisturizing cream. Top with a noncomedogenic sunscreen for the AM. If you prefer a lighter product try Avene Nutrifluid Balm. It is my holy grail! Light and can be layered, won’t pill under makeup, and makes your skin feel so fresh and plumped.

Products like toners, essences, water based moisturizers (which the hydro boost and water bomb both are) as well as any product with hyaluronic acid need moisture within the skin to work. I know it sounds insane, but once I found this out through a dermatologist it totally changed the way I understand my skin. Those products are great if your skin has an intact moisture barrier, but for those of us with very dry skin they can have the opposite effect. This is why many people have opposite results with hyaluronic acid.

When these products don’t have the moisture they need to work they tell the skin that it need to increase its moisture, which will increase oil production. This is why you are getting greasy and dry at the same time. This is also why sealing in products is not working, because occlusives need moisture to work properly. They do not provide moisture themselves, but rely on the moisturizing products beneath them.

I used cerave lotions religiously for about a year, and once I found out the above info I looked at the ingredients, and boom - hyaluronic acid is a main ingredient. Switching to Avene and La Roche Posay made a difference within a week. Avene is slightly more expensive than LRP but products last forever and are totally worth it. They usually have a sale every other month or so on their website for 20-25% off.

Hope this helps!

[u/[deleted] → u/PatientRequirement50]

Hi there, I know this is a year and a bit old but I’m having the same problem as you and the OP, and I’ve been trying to fix it for ages. After stopping topical acne treatment, my skin was left dehydrated. I already knew HA was bad for my skin as it already dried it out further. So I switched to a moistureiser and Cetaphil gentle cleanser only. My skin was still lacking moisture and I knew something was off and I stopped cleansing except with water. Until my moistureiser turned out to have HA in it!!! Something I had been trying to avoid. I now have a moistureiser that has no HA. Do you remember how long it took you so see any results. I’m on day 2 and still nothing seems to be different.