Does Drinking Water Help Your Skin?

We all know the drill, don’t we? Eat five portions of fruits and vegetables by the time we go to bed, walk 10,000 steps each day, manage 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise a week and drink eight glasses of water evenly spaced throughout the day.

Fresh produce, including berries, dark leafy greens and a variety of different coloured vegetables provide antioxidants that support the immune system and protect against disease. Walking and other types of exercise (that encompass a mix of aerobic, strength and flexibility training) have a plethora of benefits for our physical and mental health.

So, what does drinking water and staying hydrated do for our health? It turns out, quite a lot. From cushioning the joints and regulating body temperature to brain function, blood pressure and digestion, water is responsible for the normal and healthy functioning of pretty much all of our bodily functions and systems.

But what about the role of water in our skin? What essential roles does adequate hydration play in our skin health? What about the non essential beauty and youthfulness roles, too? Also, does it play a part in the management of skin conditions, such as eczema and irritated skin?

Without delay, let’s find out!

Why Do We Need to Drink Water?

Our body is made up of around 60-70% water, our bloodstream is even higher. So it makes sense that in order to support good health and wellbeing, we need to keep our water levels topped up. Just like we would our vehicles, keeping our fluid reserves where they should be, will help our bodies run smoothly.

As if by a serendipitous act of nature, around 70% of the surface of the Earth is also water, and we’ve all seen what happens when riverbeds run dry - they become cracked and parched. And that’s exactly why we need to stay hydrated, for the sake of our skin, that can become equally as dry, cracked and parched.

What Are the Benefits of Keeping Hydrated for Overall Health?

We’ve touched on some of the reasons water is essential, but here’s a little bit more detail, before we start talking about hydration and skin health.

• Without water, our body wouldn’t be able to get rid of toxins, unwanted by-products and waste - water forms a large proportion of our urine, faeces and sweat.
• Our joints are lubricated by cartilage, which requires water. Without it, our joints would be stiff and painful, and our bones would eventually start rubbing against each other.
• Our digestive system needs water in order to move food and waste through our guts and avoid a sluggish bowel and constipation.
• Water is also necessary for the absorption of the water soluble vitamins (B and C) and certain minerals.
• Dehydration can lead to poorly functioning kidneys.
• Our blood is 90% water - go figure where we’d be without it!
• Dehydration can lead to thicker blood, which increases blood pressure.
• Water is also essential for delivering oxygen around the body.
• Water is essential in our airways and lungs to enable us to breath unlaboured.
• Water plays an important role in regulating body temperature.
• The brain, nerves and spinal cord are all cushioned by watery fluids.

What Are the Benefits of Water for Our Skin?

Many of us have been there - we’ve had one too many wines or beers the night before, and the next morning, we have sallow skin and dark circles under our eyes. Alcohol is dehydrating, and these are the visible effects of being dehydrated.

In fact, our skin is the place that the visibly noticeable effects will show. Aside from darker urine, most of the other effects of dehydration go on internally, and therefore may be more difficult to detect until later on.

The skin requires water to stay hydrated and healthy. Water also delivers oxygen and essential nutrients to the skin to keep it healthy. The outermost layer of the skin acts as a barrier to stop pathogens and other unwanted nasties from entering our bodies. But it also acts as a barrier to prevent too much moisture leaving the skin.

If we have dry skin, it could be down to moisture loss, called transepidermal water loss or TEWL, that leaves the skin looking and feeling dehydrated.

So, in order for our skin to look fresh, hydrated and healthy, it requires water.

Does Drinking Water Hydrate Dry Skin?

As it stands, scientists can’t find robust evidence that drinking excess water, as claimed by certain celebrities, actually makes the skin appear younger. If we’re dehydrated, when we drink, the internal systems of the body will take the water first, leaving the skin until later on.

However, becoming dehydrated will have a negative impact on the appearance and health of the skin. Without adequate hydration in the skin, it will become dehydrated and without adequate hydration in the body, it won't be filtering and eliminating toxins as efficiently, which will show up as dullness in our skin.

So while we can’t drink our way to guaranteed, lifelong dewy, youthful skin, we can to a certain extent - staying hydrated to a normal level will help to keep the skin hydrated and supplied with oxygen and nutrients which will support its health and appearance.

If we have a skin condition such as acne, eczema or sensitivities, it’s especially important to keep the flow of the skin supporting nutrients going, along with oxygen and hydration - as without them, our skin condition may appear worse.

Does Drinking Water Help Clear Skin?

To an extent, yes. If we struggle with acne prone skin that breaks out easily, staying well hydrated by drinking plenty of water will help the body flush out toxins and waste, which in turn may help to support clearer skin.

But acne prone skin needs the right care, and you can discover more on our dedicated acne page.

How Much Water Do I Really Need to Drink?

We mentioned the eight glass thing at the beginning of this article. But what does eight glasses really mean? How long is a piece of string aka how big is a glass?! (From our research, it appears that one “glass” should be of a standard size, therefore about 240ml.) Therefore, just under two litres a day is the “unofficial advice”.

So, by all means, aim for this figure in water and clear, non sugary fluids (more on that below) per day, and you should be drinking enough.

But in reality, the jury is still out on exactly how much water we should drink a day. It all depends on our age, height, weight, how active we are, how warm the temperature is and probably the rate of our metabolism too.

It also depends on our starting point - if we drink a lot of coffee, we may need more water. Caffeine is a diuretic, meaning that it will make us pee more, and we may potentially become more dehydrated or more in need of water. Similarly, if we had a lot of alcohol or salty food the day before, we’re more likely to need to drink more water to rehydrate us.

How Do I Know If I'm Dehydrated?

So it isn’t definitive on how much to drink each day. What is known though, is that we can tell if we’re drinking enough by the colour of our urine.

If, when we pee, our urine is the colour of pale straw or it’s completely clear, then we’re doing well. Any darker than this, and we probably should be drinking more.

TOP TIP - don’t use your first pee of the day to judge whether or not you’re dehydrated. Morning wee will always be darker as it’s been held in our bladder for hours whilst we slept. Start judging your hydration status on the urine you produce later on in the morning and throughout the day.

If your urine is mid or dark yellow or bordering on brown, you need to start drinking more water. Some foods and certain drugs might affect the colour of our urine, so that’s worth keeping in mind.

Also, a brilliant, in-built mechanism to detect dehydration that we all have - is thirst. If you feel thirsty, you’re well into dehydration status, so get a drink of water as soon as possible!

Other signs of dehydration include urinating fewer than three or four times a day, tiredness, lethargy, lightheadedness and dry lips and mouth.

Do I Have to Drink Mineral Water?

No, not at all. Tap water in the UK is considered safe. However, you may want to invest in an alkaline water filter to filter out the chlorine and some of the heavy metals potentially found in tap water, and replace them with alkalising minerals.

Try to avoid buying bottled water in plastic bottles if possible, both to avoid any of the plastic chemicals leaching into your drink and to help protect the planet from the perils of single use plastic.

Some bottled water brands produce theirs in glass bottles, which are much kinder in both respects.

Can I Drink Other Liquids to Stay Hydrated?

Yes! Herbal, naturally caffeine free teas also count towards your daily fluid intake. You can also add in one or two glasses of diluted, low sugar squash. But essentially, water is best.

If plain water bores you, try adding slices of limes, lemons and cucumber, or add a handful of chopped berries such as strawberries to each glass. Fruits and vegetables are also hydrating due to their high water content, so make sure you’re consuming at least five portions a day.

What Food and Drink is Dehydrating?

Salty food is the obvious culprit here. Foods with a high salt content include ready meals, processed meats, pies, pastries and pizzas as well as snacks including crisps, salted nuts and olives. Condiments may have added salt too, and soy sauce is especially salty.

Drink wise, as we’ve mentioned, caffeine and alcohol are both dehydrating due to their diuretic effect (that is, they make us pee more). Limiting alcohol intake to below the recommended maximum of 14 units per week is a good idea for many aspects of our health.

Try to keep salty foods to a minimum and if you’re drinking caffeine and alcohol, match each cup or glass for a glass of water.

Achieving Clear Skin with Sönd

So, to reiterate, drinking excess amounts of water is unlikely alone to be the Holy Grail of youthful, plump skin. But not drinking enough water will lead to dry, dehydrated skin that may highlight fine lines and wrinkles and may exacerbate certain skin conditions. Getting the balance right, and drinking to the point of clear urine, is key.

At Sönd we love talking about how to look after our skin. That’s why we created our range of alkalising skin care products that respect the needs of the skin, including contrary, stressed out acne prone, dry, oily or sensitive skin types.

Whilst we can’t promise they’ll undo the bad habit of not staying well hydrated, they certainly will nourish and hydrate your skin, doing some of the hard work for you.

Now, who’s for a glass of water…?

This article is not meant to treat or diagnose. Please visit your doctor for advice about any health concerns you may have.