Dry skin and dehydrated skin are sometimes used interchangeably, which can cause confusion. The truth is that dry skin is a skin type, meaning skin routinely feels tight or dry. The intensity of this can change a bit throughout the year, but in the absence of a good moisturiser, the dry, tight feeling is always present. Dehydrated skin is a skin condition that can make skin look and feel dry all over, but this feeling tends to come and go rather than persist. Another telltale sign of dehydrated skin is excess oil on the surface, with tight, dry or flaky areas in other places.