Few people do not use moisturizing creams in their daily lives, but do you think you use the right one? When should we use them? Are the ones that cost more money better? Should I use moisturizer if I have very oily skin? We will solve this and other questions with the help of the president of the Spanish Society of Aesthetic Medicine, Petra Vega.
In an interview, this expert recalls that the function of moisturizing creams is to maintain the skin’s hydration because, in contact with external agents (cold, heat, air, sun), it loses its moisture.
The last layers of the skin. ” The importance of a moisturizer is to maintain that barrier, called ‘hydrolipid,’ and ultimately conserve enough water so that the skin does not lose the hydration it needs to fulfill all its functions,” she explains.
As he continues, we have a large percentage of water throughout the body, and what is in the skin is essential. Here, it is stated that there are different types of skin. Not just any moisturizer is valid daily, but rather those that are part of the care of our skin type: oily, dry, combination, or complex skin (apparently, it looks like oily skin due to its oily and porous appearance, but when analyzed carefully they lack hydration).
Another aspect to remember about moisturizing creams reflects Dr. Petra Vega, is that our skin evolves and ages like the rest of the body. This does not mean that because we were born with dry or oily skin, with age, or because of our circumstances, or as a result of stress, our skin cannot change. “That is why it is so important when using a moisturizer to analyze what type of skin we have at each stage of life,” she emphasizes.
What should we look at? The key is in the excipients, as clarified by the president of SEME: “The moisturizing factors that a moisturizer will have will be the same in all types of moisturizing creams, but what will vary for dry or oily skin will be the excipient that whether or not it facilitates the hydration of this skin.
For example, he says that if we put a moisturizing cream for oily skin on dry skin, hydration will not reach it due to the type of excipients it contains. “The excipients allow the active moisturizing factors to pass and hydrate the epidermis. This is the difference, many times, between a great cream and another one without further ado,” confirms the specialist.
Remember that the most expensive creams are not always the best, and reject cheap creams. “Any bottle of wine that costs more than 100 euros cannot be improved. Nor can you do wonders with moisturizers. Moisturizers have to be correct and very well formulated, not those attractive active ingredients of caviar or gold. There may be an economical cream that is very suitable for all skin types and well formulated, but the price does not determine the goodness of the cream. You have to see which laboratory is behind it, and it does not have to be the most expensive. It can be the cream is cheap and delicious,” he emphasizes.
Dr. Vega, however, advises avoiding very cheap creams whose price does not even correspond to the packaging they carry, and when choosing a cream, be able to analyze and be critical. “We must remember that a good cream has work behind it and complexity in its formulation, so this is impossible in a two-euro moisturizer. So it is important to look at what laboratory is behind it, what confidence it gives us, and how the cream is formulated,” he says.
When in doubt, this doctor always recommends consulting with an expert, a dermatologist or aesthetic doctor, who knows the skin well. “Having advice is important because many times the moisturizer becomes obsolete. We must remember that skin that has behaved like oil can become dry or vice versa, and other problems or new pathologies may appear; it can change our skin over time.
If we Have Oily Skin, Should WE USE Moisturizers?
One of the main myths that Vega wants to banish is the idea that oily skin does not need hydration. “Just because it has a lot of fat does not mean it has a lot of water. They are different things,” warns the president of the SEME.
It recognizes that oily skin “will always be more protected against external agents than thin skin, “ but this does not mean the skin is hydrated beneath that layer of fat.
“You have to take a good look at that skin’s hydration. There is a common mistake that patients with oily skin who don’t want to have it spend all day washing it so that their skin dries out. So, the skin produces more fat in defense. So it is better to have a simple routine, keep it very clean, and hydrate it so that this hydration prevents the skin from noticing that it is very irritated and needs more oil,” he emphasizes.
How Often Should You Use the Moisturizer?
Ultimately, Dr. Petra Vega refers to how moisturizing creams should be used. It indicates that within a daily routine, the first step we must follow is to wash our face with water, without using cleansers, and then apply a moisturizing cream “because we go out into the world, outside,” as well as a sunscreen, depending on the condition. Time and latitude in which we find ourselves. He adds that even if we find ourselves in very cold or dry environments, it is advisable to reapply the moisturizer.
At night, as this Aesthetic Medicine specialist continues, she suggests cleaning it very well with soap and water or with cleansing creams through exhaustive cleaning. Nighttime is also when treatment products should be applied to the skin, with acids or even alternating them with specific nutrients, depending on age. “We can put everything acidic on clean skin with nutritional substances. In younger people, you can use the same moisturizer in the morning if there is no need to put other substances,” she adds.
Here, it is stated that in the morning, you should only wash your face with water, not soaps or other products, because it is unnecessary to remove the treatment substances we have applied at night thoroughly. “At night, we should clean the skin because it will always be dirty from exposure to the open air,” he emphasizes.
When to Start With ANTI-AGING CREAMS?
In this context, Dr. Vega advises that as early as adolescence, it is advisable to start taking care of the skin and take the care routine with specific products appropriate to them so that at the age of 30, the skin arrives in its best condition.
“From the age of 20, depending on the type of skin, we can use less powerful anti-aging products, but we can start taking care of the skin, which is what we are exposed to all day, and keeping it in ideal hydration conditions will help to make our skin and internal environment feel better,” he defends.
