Stay Hydrated: To Improve Your Skin

Most of you underestimate the power of drinking water to stay hydrated – it has a positive effect on your skin and overall health. The human skin is the largest organ in your body. The skin protects you, storing water and lipids, preventing fluid loss, and even serving as thermoregulation. 

Staying hydrated by drinking more and more water is the best natural way to get your glowing, beaming, and healthy skin all the time.

Diet and Lifestyle Tips for Keeping Skin Hydrated

Besides drinking water, you can also try these methods. To improve your body’s hydration levels and thus your skin’s – follow these expert-backed strategies.

Eat Your Water

It means adding foods high in water to your plate to maintain hydration goals. Where to start?

Try stuff like celery, cucumbers, watermelon, zucchini, strawberries, and cauliflower, as they top the list.

Limit Alcohol and Sweets

Alcohol dehydrates your skin and body, thus making your skin look more dry and wrinkled. Most of the mixed drinks that contain alcohol are loaded with sugar, thus creating havoc on your skin. 

Therefore, you should not indulge in too many sugary sweets. It is because the sugar will stiffen collagen via a process known as glycation, which ages your skin. In addition, too much sugar in your body can flare inflammation if you are prone to inflammatory skin conditions such as psoriasis, which can lead to inflammation. Sugar can also aggravate conditions such as acne, eczema, and rosacea. 

Try Humectants

When you apply topical products called humectants to your skin – they help absorb and pull in water. One typical example of a humectant is hyaluronic acid, a common skin care ingredient. Additionally, emollients like creams help retain moisture, reducing the fluid loss in your protective outermost skin layer.

Exfoliate Your Skin

This process eliminates dead skin and allows skin-care products to penetrate faster and more efficiently. Many believe that exfoliating leaves your skin too dry. But the condition occurs only when someone exfoliates their skin too often. You can end up irritating your skin.

The American Academy of Dermatology confirms that irritated, red skin, especially after exfoliation, might suggest over-exfoliation. You should work with your dermatologist or specialist to identify the right type and frequency of exfoliation.

Add a Serum

After exfoliation, use a good face serum that helps with the hydration process and helps your skin stay hydrated. A good serum (best face serum) should include active ingredients like retinol, hyaluronic acid, and glycerin. Furthermore, hyaluronic acid also helps plump up your skin. 

Optimize Your Shower Routine

Avoid hot showers or washing your face with hot water. It is important to note that the heat will absorb the moisture from your skin. Therefore, lukewarm water is ideal for your skin.

Finally, when you apply your skin care products, it can drastically impact your skin hydration levels. Always use moisturizer right after coming out of the shower. After getting out or showering – pat your skin dry with your towel and apply a thick layer of moisturizer to increase absorption.

The Potential Link Between Drinking Water and Improving Skin

You might have heard that swigging water can give you clear, glowing skin – but scientific evidence behind this is lacking. One small study published in 2015 suggests a relationship between hydration and skin health.

Researchers found that people with low daily water consumption or those who were dehydrated – were positively affected when they started drinking water. It means that increasing your water intake will positively affect your skin appearance. Water may also maintain skin hydration levels in the long run.

Interestingly, the study also noted that if you are already well hydrated, drinking to a point beyond a balanced level of hydration might not have any other impact. Note that excessive hydration is unlikely to benefit your skin.

Your skin remains “hydrated” from the inside out – by pulling fluid from the capillary blood flow in the skin. If there is not enough water to draw from, say you are dehydrated, your skin can effectively dry out. Therefore, it makes sense to feature water in your healthy skincare routine.

Stay hydrated as it is a reflection of total-body hydration. It means if you are dehydrated, less water gets transferred to your skin from circulation. Getting enough water improves blood flow in your body and skin. Your body’s tissues and cells are mostly made of water. You should stay hydrated and form a part of your skin care there.

If you feel thirsty, your body is asking for more water. Drink enough water throughout the day – so that your body does not get a chance to feel dehydrated any time of the day.

How Much Water Should You Drink for Healthy Skin?

According to experts, a gallon of water will keep your skin hydrated. According to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, men should take 13 cups of water, and women should take 9 cups of water, indicating adequate fluid intake.

But the requirement will increase automatically if a person has a lot of transepidermal water loss from heat and sweat. Transepidermal water loss primarily refers to water lost through your skin surface.

Like water-rich foods or caffeinated beverages, other dietary factors might influence your body’s hydration levels.

Taking more and men may result in water intoxication. However, it is a rare effect. When too much water is in your body, salts electrolytes and salts become too diluted. Leading to a condition called hyponatremia. Additionally, excessive fluid intake may strain your kidneys, your body’s filtration organ.

Ways in Which Drinking Water Can Help Improve Your Skin

Here are the ways if you stay hydrated it will improve your skin:

1 Sagging Skin

Are you on a weight loss program? Rapid shedding of fat or extreme weight loss may cause sagging skin. In such a scenario, many people tighten their skin by water fasting. However, it is essential to note that it is an unhealthy method and might damage your skin. 

If you drink an ample quantity of water day in and day out, you can tighten your skin and maintain a healthy glow.

2 pH Balance

We all know that it is essential to maintain a good pH balance in your skin. The pH of any substance can range from 0 to 14, with 0 being highly acidic and 14 being the most alkaline. A pH value of 7 means the substance is neutral and is the exact pH value of pure water. 

Drinking more water ensures that your pH value is balanced, thus giving you healthy skin. Additionally, water can wash your skin thoroughly, especially after face wash, thus maintaining the correct pH balance.

3 Reduces Wrinkles

Water helps you stay hydrated and refreshed, thus helping maintain your skin’s elasticity. Drinking the required quantity makes you less likely to suffer from wrinkles on face, scars, and soft lines. In addition, stay hydrated as it will help prevent signs of aging compared to those who drink water in less quantity.  

It is important to note that without water, it becomes more challenging for your body to retain moisture, especially as you grow older. By inputting more water into your system, you are helping your body and skin stay hydrated.

4 Flush Toxins

Yes, you can flush out the toxins in your body by drinking water. These harmful toxins can take a toll on your health. If you increase your water intake, you flush out the toxins in your body, improving the health of your skin. 

You may have heard many people go on juice diets to flush out toxins. But by maintaining a healthy diet and drinking water, you can flush out toxins just the same way.

5 Prevents Acne and Pimples

Toxins can clog the tiny pores on your epidermis, causing problems like pimples and acne. By drinking more and more water, you can be sure that you will not suffer from acne scars or severe pimples. The more hydrated your skin, the less likely your pores will clog.

6 Moisturize

You should not only drink eight glasses a day to be specific- but you should also use water to thoroughly clean your skin. It may not seem ideal to take a shower or bath every day, especially during the colder months.

Moreover, it is a great option to cleanse your body and skin with water to unclog and clean pores. It eventually leads to moist and healthy skin.

7 Elasticity

If you lack elasticity in your skin, it may be because you are dehydrated. Therefore, gently pinch and see if your skin bounces back to check your skin’s elasticity.

If your skin does not bounce back, you may need to drink more water to hydrate yourself and even plump up your cells. The areas under your eyes can become dark if you lose elasticity and stay hydrated.

Wrapping Up

You need to understand that drinking more water will benefit your skin health by maintaining proper hydration levels. In addition, if you are already drinking the recommended daily amount of water and staying hydrated, you do not need extra. Note that drinking additional water will not improve your skin’s health or appearance.

Having said that, incorporating hydration into your skin-care routine via exfoliation can help a lot. Moreover, infusing a serum that has effective ingredients can be beneficial too. It may have a direct and positive effect on your skin. 

You can also help your skin stay hydrated by increasing your intake of water-rich foods and avoiding contact with hot water. Avoid hot water showers. Instead, use a humidifier.

And a final note: if you have further questions and queries, you should visit your dermatologist to get a specific consultation based on your skin’s needs.