Hello! It’s Dr. Ryan writing to you on a warm, sunny Friday and I am just so excited to be doing another Mailbag this week! If it’s your first time, every Friday I answer two questions from customers who need a little help with their skincare questions. My first question comes from Greta in Sunnyvale, CA.
Q: Hi Dr. Ryan. I have an important event to go to in June that I really want to look good for, but my skin has been looking so dry and lifeless recently. What can I do to fix this?
A: Hi Greta! I understand your concern about your dry and lackluster skin, especially with your important event in June. No one wants to go to a social gathering and feel like they don’t exactly look their best, so I’m going to give you some advice that should help prevent that from happening!
If your skin is looking a little dry, it's probably crying out for extra hydration!
There are a few things you can do to help get more hydration in your skin, and one of those things is to make sure you’re drinking plenty of water throughout the day and keeping your body and skin hydrated from the inside out.
Another thing you can do is to start looking at what your cleanser is doing to your skin. If it’s too harsh, it will strip your complexion of its natural oils and just make your problem worse.
A gentle cleanser, like my Lavender Oil Cleanser, will be a lot more suitable for your dry skin!
That’s because Lavender oil has been shown to help soothe dry skin, so using it in your cleanser would be a great first step.
Not to mention, it has gentle exfoliating properties, so it can help you take care of that lifeless look you talked about.
A great second step would be to make sure your moisturizer is worth what you pay for it!
If your daily moisturizing cream is not getting rid of your dryness and not leaving behind a silky smooth complexion, it’s time to move on to something with hydrating ingredients like Squalane and Coconut Oil.
These two ingredients are in my Repair and Release Cream and do a great job at helping smooth the skin while giving your complexion the moisture it needs.
In my professional opinion, using my Repair and Release Cream and Lavender Oil Cleanser together should help you get your glow back and feel fresh and ready for your important event.
I just know you’ll get so many compliments!
My next question is from Dawn in Columbia, SC.
Q: Hi Dr. Ryan. Every time I use a rich moisturizer I seem to break out, but my skin is really dry so I can’t use something too light. What do you suggest?
A: Hi Dawn! This is certainly a frustrating problem to have to deal with, especially if your skin is dry. Breakouts can make you feel insecure, but don’t worry - I’m going to tell you how you can avoid them and get your skin its hydration back!
If you’re breaking out from your current moisturizer, it probably means a few of the ingredients are clogging your pores.
In the skincare world, we call these ingredients “Comedogenic”.
Most oils and butters used in skin care products have what we call a comedogenicity rating, which is a rating that tells us how likely it is to clog your pores and create breakouts.
The rating scale runs from 0 to 5. 0 being not at all likely to clog your pores, and 5 being quite likely to clog your pores. Of course, the closer an ingredient is to 0, the better it is for your skin if you’re prone to breakouts.
Two ingredients that rank quite low on the scale are Shea Butter (0) and Squalane (1).
These ingredients would be great for you because not only will they help prevent your pores from becoming clogged, but they are also ultra-hydrating and can help put an end to the dryness you’re experiencing.
Both of these ingredients are in my Repair and Release Cream, so it would be a wonderful option for you to help get your skin back to its plump, hydrated self!
Another thing you’ll want to know is that it’s important to keep your pores as clean as possible.
The more grime and bacteria in them, the more you’re going to keep suffering from these terrible breakouts.
So make sure you stick closely to your cleansing routine and use a product that’s going to help rinse out your pores and keep them nice and clean.
Of course, I’m going to recommend my Lavender Oil Cleanser for that as it has 3 different essential oils in it that are known to help prevent bacteria growth!
On top of that, it’s great for all skin types so it won’t strip your skin of its natural oils and make it drier.
By using these tips, I have no doubt that you’ll be able to get your skin back to normal in no time!
