Most people suffer from some degree of dehydration which they are unaware of. The more you exercise and spend time outdoors in a dry climate, the more you dehydrate. Heated and air conditioned spaces are also very dehydrating. The environment in airplanes is particularly bad dehydrating to your skin.

Loss of hydration and the attendant loss of tone are conditions that worsen with age. The most perfect way to hydrate is from within, drinking a sufficient amount of pure slightly alkaline water rich in electrolytes.

The application of a fat-rich lotion and particularly of a cream on the face is a good protection, especially when spending time outdoors during very dry weather. However, while applying such a cream might work well in winter, it can be quite unpleasant in a hot climate because of the perspiration effect.

Most hydrating creams and lotions are formulated largely for comfort and appearance as they reduce the effect of desquamation, the natural shedding of dry skin cells and of dead cells. Dehydrated skin accelerates desquamation. Hydrating lotions or creams also help reduce water loss from a dry surrounding environment.

The Skin Test Institute in Switzerland has independently tested PHYTO5’s Extreme Hydrating Cream and found through corneometry* measurements that after six hours following a first application, the moisture in the skin was still 40% greater. After two weeks of regular application, the moisture was steadily at 50% higher.

These findings awarded the Extreme Hydrating Cream the designation “Excellent Moisturizer,” the highest ranking given by the Institute. At this time, it is fair to say that few hydrating skincare products are backed by an independent clinical study validating their hydration claims.

Skin hydration requires a process of osmosis to take place. The process requires the presence of certain trace minerals in the skin—some of the same minerals we lose when we perspire and which we might not replace with what we eat and drink.

Unless we replenish those minerals, our hydration efforts might be like watering sand that does not retain water.

For this reason, we developed Oligo 5, a mineral salt lotion which includes five essential trace minerals for the skin: cobalt, copper, magnesium, manganese and zinc.

All PHYTO5 night element creams also include trace minerals. In addition, PHYTO5’s entire Metal product line is formulated to promote re-mineralization of your skin.

The effects of lack of hydration include premature lines and wrinkles, and eventually cause a loss of tone. Tone is not simply a matter of collagen loss. An apt analogy is a dehydrated prune where the water has been removed. If the prune is soaked in water, it will regain volume and tone.

To some extent, a similar effect can happen with your skin when provided the right hydration program. Good hydration is critical to both the health and the appearance of your skin.

*Corneometry is a technology that is used to measure the hydration of the outer layer of the epidermis (stratum corneum). As the skin is a dielectric medium, variations in hydration show up through changes in capacity…The corneometer is a fully automatic device. The reading indicates the epidermal hydration level – before and after treatment with cosmetic or pharmaceutical products, for instance. The recordings are always carried out within a constant time frame following the use of the respective product. –Dermatest, Research Institute for Reliable Results, Munich, Germany