Eli5: Why do you need to moisturise when you get out of water?

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If you’ve just been in water why are you rehydrating your skin?

In: Biology

2 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Especially when bathing, we generally use soap and warm/hot water, both of which strip away the oils that are the skin’s natural protection against drying out. Until these oils are replaced, either naturally or by applying moisturizer, the skin loses moisture through evaporation.

The moisture is not lost through osmosis- at least with general bathing conditions, since the solute concentrations in bodily fluids are far higher than in tap water- meaning that the osmotic pressure would actually favor driving water into the body, rather than pulling it out.

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