Tuesday 4 October 2011

How do moisturizers work

How do moisturizers work?

Not just people with dry skin need to use moisturizer, even those with healthy skin need a good supply of moisture in the skin. What most of us know about moisturizer is that water plays a big role in the process of moisturizing. On the other hand, what most of us do not know is that there are four components of moisturizer according to how it works in the skin.

First, what are moisturizers? A moisturizer is a skin care product that makes the skin softer and smoother by means of hydrating the skin with water. Typically, people with dry skin are most known for using moisturizer, but people with normal skin should too, because moisturizers protect the skin from dehydration.

How do moisturizers work: 1) it restores the skin impediment, 2) it attracts moisture to the skin, 3) it prevents the loss of water, and, 4) improves the skin's ability to accumulate, hold and reallocate the water supply.

Now we go to specifics. What are these components? They are: Occlusives, Humectants, emollients, and protein rejuvenators.

Occlusives is in charge with fixing the skin barrier that allows moisture to escape from the skin. Chemicals that are classified as Occlusives are Petrolatun, Lanolin, Mineral, Oil, and Zinc Oxide. These chemicals may sometimes cause messy application and even pimples when not used properly.

Humectants gathers water to moisturize the skin. This is the water-collector of moisturizing products which is very important in the process of moisturizing the skin. It includes chemicals like Sorbitol, Urea, Alphahydroxy acids, Glycerin, and Sugars. In the process in can cause skin irritation brought about by Urea.

Emollients seals the skin with moisture by filling it with oil, thus eliminating dry skin. What are these oils called as Emolients? They are Cholesterol, Fatty acids, and Squalene.

Protein rejuvenators is the invigorator by stocking up on essential proteins needed by the skin. Collagen, Keratin, and Elastin are responsible for this but too much can cause dermatitis so moderation is important.

When browsing anti-aging moisturizer, you can now say that you are wiser to know which ones are worth it. Go through the ingredients, along with the vitamins and minerals there should be right moisturizing ingredients mentioned above that will play the key roles in moisturizing your skin. There are different formulations of moisturizers. Some come in creams, others in gels; try to find which one goes right with your skin.