Face moisturizer is an essential skin care component, essential to keeping skin hydrated and smooth. It can prevent excess oil production, fight acne and provide anti-ageing benefits across all skin types.
However, with so many products on the market available for you to select from, it can be dauntingly hard to choose the appropriate one for your skin type and concerns.
Hydration
Moisturizers replenish lost oil on the skin’s surface by moisturizing its surface layers and replacing lost lipids. Moisturizers come in various formulations, but are usually lotion, cream emulsion or ointment consistency. Occlusives (like petrolatum) form a barrier to keep in moisture and decrease transepidermal water loss (TEWL); humectants such as glycerin absorb and hold moisture within deeper skin layers or, during humid environments; while emollients smooth the surface while filling rough spots without altering the water content of skin.
Moisturizing aging skin can help combat dryness that leads to irritation and redness, while plumping up facial features for a more youthful look. As such, elderly loved ones should incorporate moisturizer into a daily skincare routine consisting of facial and body products.
Anti-Aging
Moisturizers help reduce fine lines and wrinkles by replenishing skin’s barrier function, replacing lost lipids, compounds, or both. Occlusives such as petrolatum or dimethicone prevent water loss by sealing over the surface; humectants such as glycerin draw moisture out from deeper layers or from air; while emollients like lanolin or glycerol stearate soften skin further.
As you age, moisturizing your face becomes even more essential as natural oils diminish, leading to thinner and less elastic skin.
For oily skin, look for lightweight formulas that won’t clog your pores (gel creams and lotions). Incorporate antiaging ingredients like niacinamide and hyaluronic acid. For delicate eye area skin care use specially-formulated moisturizers with peptides and growth factors.
Evens Skin Tone
Even skin tone is essential to healthy looking skin as you age. Whether you experience dark spots, fine lines or enlarged pores there are moisturizers designed specifically to address them. Look for products containing ingredients such as niacinamide, zinc glycinate and oligopeptides to address discoloration; vitamin C, alpha-, beta- or polyhydroxy acids as well as salicylic acid for increased cell turnover; and hyaluronic acid to hydrate and plump up skin and make fine lines less noticeable. Exfoliating your skin manually or through chemical treatments such as at-home peels can also be effective. Kiehl’s offers a gentle scrub containing three exfoliating acids designed to smooth skin and reduce fine lines, plus antiaging benefits including 12% pure vitamin C and antioxidants for fast absorption and antiage benefits.
Anti-Acne
Moisturizers with anti-acne ingredients target the source of breakouts. Typical formulas contain salicylic acid to purge sebum (blackheads and excess oil) from pores while simultaneously reducing inflammation, while they might also include ingredients to prevent further pore clogging such as tea tree oil or azelaic acid.
Humectants and emollients are other key ingredients found in moisturizers used to treat aging or acne-prone skin, while occlusives like petrolatum or waxes or mineral oils act as occlusives to stop water evaporating from your skin’s surface. Meanwhile, humectants like glycerin help retain the moisture on the surface by binding to it to keep it there longer.
For maximum effect from moisturizing products, apply them on slightly damp skin. This allows the emollients to latch onto existing moisture and penetrate deeper into your skin while simultaneously decreasing irritation caused by products like makeup or sunscreen.
Texture
Moisturizers are cream-textured skincare products containing both humectants and emollients for maximum skin hydration. Humectants draw moisture out of the air and surface layers of skin, like glycerin, while emollients help soften and smooth its texture – the former absorb moisture, the latter soften and smooth.
Occlusives, found in moisturizers, are used to prevent water loss from the skin. Since water absorbs well through the stratum corneum but doesn’t bind tightly enough, occlusives like petrolatum or mineral and vegetable oils (eg, shea butter and cocoa butter) help retain moisture within skin layers. Silicone-based dimethicone and cyclomethicone also act as effective occlusives.
Understanding the physiology of the skin barrier and maintaining moisture balance within its stratum corneum allows clinicians to select an individualized combination of ingredients for every patient, customizing treatments to address factors contributing to dry skin or impaired barrier function.
