How Does Drinking Water Affect Skin Health?

Many celebrities and beauty addicts claim that drinking plenty of water is the secret to flawless skin.

Drinking plenty of water is known to lead to clear skin, shiny hair, and fluttery long eyelashes. It’s the super simple fix for various skin issues including acne, fine lines, dry skin, rosacea, dark circles, and more.

But let’s be honest – can increasing your water intake really have that significant of an impact on your skin?

According to science, the answer is not really. There’s no evidence that clearly proves that drinking tons of water is the secret and simple cure for all our skin issues.

But there’s more to the topic. Let’s learn more about whether drinking plenty of water contributes to better skin health, or whether this is a widespread myth we’ve adopted as the truth.

Does Drinking Water Actually Hydrate Your Skin?

It’s time to learn the hard, cold truth. Sure, everyone knows that drinking enough water is essential for overall health and doctors around the world recommend drinking water instead of sugary and caffeinated beverages. But, there’s a lack of research proving that water consumption affects skin hydration.

While drinking water is essential for our bodies to work at their best and help nutrients reach the skin through blood flow, don’t count on glugging down the H2O for flawless skin just yet.

When you drink water, it doesn’t immediately reach the skin. It hydrates cells once it’s absorbed into the bloodstream and filtered by the kidneys. At the cellar level, drinking water is excellent as it flushes the body system and hydrates our bodies overall.

But, there isn’t enough data or research to prove that drinking a ton of water will make much of a difference in your skin’s appearance.

Likewise, there’s no data that shows that drinking fewer than eight glasses of water a day is damaging to the skin. However, it’s essential to know that if your body is severely dehydrated as a whole, it may take a toll on your complexion.

During times of extreme dehydration, your skin may lose some of its elasticity or take on a ‘tenting’ effect, which we can all agree, doesn’t sound too appealing.

How Much Water Do You Need to Drink to Be Properly Hydrated?

So, how much water do you need to drink to remain hydrated from within?

An easy way to calculate this is to divide your weight in half. Then, drink that amount in ounces. For example, if you weigh 140 pounds, you should drink around 70 ounces of water daily.

If you don’t enjoy drinking water, it’s possible to hydrate through water-rich foods. The recommendation is 104 ounces or 13 cups of water for men, and at least 72 ounces or nine cups for women.

However, these figures refer to the overall fluid intake per day, which includes anything you consume containing water, like fruits and vegetables.

If you struggle to drink a lot of water, another good idea is to infuse water with fruit to give it better taste. You could also add a shot glass of juice to a 10-ounce water bottle for a touch of flavor. If you use just a small shot of juice, you won’t be adding too much sugar to your water.

How to Keep the Skin Hydrated

Rather than glugging down glasses and glasses of water to improve your complexion, you should also keep skin hydrated by using the right topical products.

Avoid any skincare products that feature alcohol, as this can dry the skin out. You should also avoid exposure to dry air. If you’re not sure how to do this, consider investing in a humidifier.

While it may be tempting to jump into a long, hot shower (especially during the winter), try to avoid doing so as this can also dry out the skin. When you’re finished showering, apply a soothing body cream to deeply nourish the skin.

When it comes to hydration, topical moisturizers can be more effective than drinking a ton of water. Moisturizers contain three types of ingredients that are excellent in nourishing the skin. These ingredient types include occlusives, like white petrolatum, to create a protective seal over the skin. They also include humectants like glycerin or ronek acid, which acts like a sponge to draw in hydrating to the outer skin layers.

Finally, moisturizers contain emolliants such as natural oils to smooth the rough edges between cells in the outer layer of the skin.

It’s also an excellent idea to use a gentle cleanser to wash your skin instead of soap. We recommend CosMedix’s Benefit Clean Gentle Cleanser. Formulated with nourishing shea butter and zeolite, a unique ingredient sourced from volcanos, the cleanser gently removes heavy metals, environmental pollutants, makeup, and grime from the skin.

There you have it, the secret to healthy and hydrated skin. Want more skincare advice? Learn about double cleansing here and why you should do it.