NH July2022

NATURAL Beauty
How to Keep
Your Skin
Soft and
Smooth
with Moisturisers
Moisturising is an important part of any skincare routine, regardless of your skin type. Whether
you have dry, oily, or combination skin, you would need to make sure your skin stays hydrated
inside out. In this article, Dr Tee Shwu Hoon, a Consultant Dermatologist at Columbia Asia
Hospital – Puchong, shares her advice about using a moisturiser.
Your skin’s ability to regulate itself
relies heavily on its hydration level.
When this function is disrupted, it can
result in dry skin and many other skin
conditions. Here’s where regular
moisturising can be beneficial.
“Moisturising our skin is important in
maintaining and enhancing skin
hydration and therefore improving our
skin health and appearance,” Dr Tee
says. “Moisturisers are commonly used
to reduce fine lines and smoothen and
hydrate the skin, which may
inadvertently help improve a patient’s
confidence and quality of life.”
Besides helping to rejuvenate your skin
and keep it hydrated, moisturisers are
also one of the best solutions to
combat wrinkles. The oil glands that
keep your skin healthy and youthful
will eventually lose their power as we
age, resulting in fewer oils being
produced. When you moisturise every
day, your glands do not have to work
as hard to maintain healthy skin
throughout the course of your life.
Moisturising is even more crucial for
people who have dry skin or
underlying skin conditions such as
eczema, psoriasis, and many others. Dr
Tee adds that moisturisers work
effectively to alleviate dry skin,
interrupting the dry skin cycle while
maintaining skin smoothness. “In fact,
moisturising is the cornerstone of
management in patients with eczema,”
she says, adding that moisturisers also
offer many other skin-caring functions,
including:
• anti-inflammation: some moisturiser
components have anti-inflammatory
properties that provide a soothing
effect on inflamed skin
• anti-pruritic (itch): water-based
moisturisers provide a cooling effect
due to water evaporation from the
skin surface; some moisturisers may
also contain menthol as an additive
to provide a cooling sensation and
therefore reducing itch symptoms.
• wound healing: some moisturisers
have been demonstrated to
promote wound healing
8 Natural Health * July 2022 VOL 128