Dry or dehydrated skin

Dry skin is a permanent condition caused by a lack of sebum. Sebum is an oily film created by the sebaceous glands to protect facial skin from external aggression and retain water naturally present in the epidermis. If you have dry to very dry skin, it's because the sebaceous glands are not very active: your skin becomes very sensitive to external aggression, losing moisture very quickly as it no longer has a protective film. For some people, this condition is part of their genetic make-up, while for others it's a consequence of age. In fact, normal aging of the body leads to a slowdown in the activity of the sebum-producing sebaceous glands. Lacking water and lipids, the skin dries out.

Unlike dry skin, dehydrated skin is a transitory state during which the cutaneous barrier is damaged by external factors. Dehydration is linked to temperature changes and everyday aggressions such as wind, cold, heating, air conditioning, pollution and the sun. Dehydration can affect all skin types.