Dehydrated, dry skin will appear dull and also tends to show accelerated signs of aging, such as these fine lines. The first place to look is the eye area, where they’re commonly called “crow’s feet.” Celebrity facialist Joanna Vargas, founder of Joanna Vargas Salons and Skin Care and author of Glow From Within, recommends checking here first: “Fine lines there can be a sign of dehydration,” she says, noting the area of skin is the thinnest and most delicate.
Holistic plastic surgeon Anthony Youn, M.D., previously told us that this is especially true for those in their 20s and early 30s, confirming that fine lines on the forehead, under eyes, and in the nasolabial folds are usually the result of extremely dehydrated skin rather than aging.
But it’s not only important to amp up hydration for immediate, aesthetic benefits. Chronically dry skin will, in fact, lead to permanent fine lines, notes board-certified internal medicine physician Zion Ko Lamm, M.D.: “People don’t realize this, but dry skin can cause inflammation, which can lead to premature aging.”
To address this, be sure to look at your hydrating creams and topicals—it might be time to upgrade to something richer or add a hyaluronic acid serum to the lineup. You’ll also want to consider internal skin care. Beauty supplements can help address skin hydration with ingredients like phytoceramides, hyaluronic acid, collagen, and more.
Youn also suggests you may need to focus on additional healthy aging topicals that support the skin structure if you’re finding the fine lines remain more permanent. “This can be true if you are young and relatively wrinkle-free, but if you’re older—it’s not just dehydration that causes wrinkles. Hydrating the skin can reduce the visibility of wrinkles temporarily, but it isn’t a solution,” he says. “Make sure to use a retinoid and vitamin C, exfoliate, and consider noninvasive options like IPL and micro-needling with PRP for real aging reversal.”