The truth about moisturisers and why we need them

March 2023 – Whether you have oily, dry or combination skin – a moisturiser is one skincare product you need to be incorporating into your daily routine. It’s an excellent all-rounder product that offers benefits your skin needs to look and feel healthy. Environmental factors, certain skincare products and age all contribute to changes in the skin and some may have damaging effects.

“Moisturisers work to effectively increase skin hydration and the water content in the stratum corneum by directly providing water to the skin which increases occlusion to reduce trans-epidermal water loss. Moisturisers are also responsible for covering small skin fissures, provides a soothing protective film and protects skin from friction,” explained Kevin Khosa Skin Expert and Customer Service Manager at SKIN functional.

Dermatologists all agree that a moisturiser is an essential part of any skincare routine for these reasons:

• They help prevent, reduce, and manage skin problems that arise from certain imbalances that occur. Some people may have oily skin, making their skin shine with frequent breakouts due to overactive oil glands while others may have dry skin causing itchy, red and sometimes inflamed skin. Moisturising helps create a protective barrier for your skin while hydrating it from within.
• Moisturised skin is less susceptible to fine lines and wrinkles and premature-ageing. Our face, ears, neck and chest are areas that are often exposed to the environment on a daily basis therefore making them more vulnerable to environmental damage. Due to this, they shed their cells a lot quicker than other a parts of the body. Moisturising helps the skin on these areas replenish what they lose every day. By applying a suitable moisturiser twice daily you help your skin heal, making it less susceptible to ageing. According to the British Journal of Dermatology, people with properly moisturised skin accumulate wrinkles at just a fraction of the rate of those with dry skin.

In addition, there is a lot of false information around moisturisers that you should stop believing:

• You don’t need to moisturise if you have oily skin: Oily skin needs hydration too and a good moisturiser will actually control the excess oil. Just invest in an oil-free, lightweight moisturiser.
• All moisturises are the same: Every moisturiser has a different formulation and ingredients meant for different skin types, issues and seasons.
• Body lotions can be used as face creams: The skin on your face is different from the skin on the rest of your body and thus you need a face lotion and body lotion to keep it moisturised the right way. In fact, body lotions are thicker and contain fragrances, which might not suit your skin, and that’s why they should never be applied on the face.

This month SKIN functional is celebrating moisturised and healthy looking skin with their brand new 8% Optisorb ComplexTM SebuReg Daily Crème. This is a patented formula by the brand that provides a moisturiser to maintain optimal skin health while managing over production of sebum, specifically for oily and combination skin types. Formulated with Aloe Vera, Optisorb Complex and our favourite Niacinamide, it’s the perfect day to night moisturiser to have in your vanity.

The brand new 50ml tube retails for R385,00 available on www.skinfunctional.com from 24 March 2023.