In Singapore, career women are often faced with this one, pressing skin dilemma: Our hot and humid weather often means that your complexion is quick to turn oily and feel sticky, yet it also gets dehydrated fast once you duck into the comfort of an air-conditioned building. So, what’s a girl to do? The answer lies in finding the right type of moisturiser for our weather. We speak to dermatologist Dr Teo Wan Lin, founder and medical director at TWL Specialist Skin & Laser Centre, to find out what to do in such situations, and how to choose the best hydrator for your needs.
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“Prolonged exposure to air conditioning can lead to dry skin because of the drop in the ambient humidity, resulting in increased transepidermal water loss. As a result, it is important to pay attention to skin hydration,” says Dr Teo. “However, given Singapore’s tropical climate, almost everyone is in a flux between the hot humid outdoors when commuting and the freezing dry indoor temperatures of our air-conditioned offices and malls. As a result, I recommend all my patients to skip creams and go for emulsions instead.”
According to Dr Teo, emulsions are essentially oil-in-water formulas that help to restore skin’s protective barrier without aggravating shine and oiliness. Due to their lightweight textures, emulsions are also more comfortable to apply and leave on in humid climates like ours. And if your skin starts to get drier than usual after you’ve spent long hours in an air-conditioned space, Dr Teo recommends spritzing on a facial mist throughout the day. Choose facial mists that have hydrating properties like Dr.TWL Dermaceuticals Mineral Booster, $139.10. This contains purified mineral-rich deep-sea water infused with amino acids and humectants to soothe skin.