“Everyone wants a quick fix when it comes to making skin look better, but drinking more water isn't going to help get rid of wrinkles or plump up your skin unless you are extremely dehydrated,” says Elizabeth Damstetter, MD, a dermatologist at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.
Reduces Puffiness
When the skin looks puffy, it is actually retaining water to protect you from dehydration. This occurs when you don't drink enough water. Staying hydrated will reduce swelling and puffiness in your face.
Specifically, researchers found that in individuals with low daily water consumption — that is, those who were dehydrated to begin with — increasing water intake had a positive effect on skin appearance and helped maintain skin hydration levels.
As it turns out, one of the best-kept secrets for healthier, younger-looking skin is as easy to find as turning the tap. Water makes up a large percentage of your body weight, and when you don't drink enough of it, it shows in your skin. Without enough water, your skin looks dull, and prematurely aged.
According to the MSD Manual, drinking too much water can lead to low levels of sodium in the blood. This can cause the body's cells to swell and retain fluid. In some cases, the cells in the tissues of the face or extremities feel or look puffy if you've been drinking too much water.
While water isn't technically something you eat, just staying hydrated throughout the day and night can help to reduce water retention, stomach bloating, and the chance of facial puffiness as well.
"You may feel a difference within minutes of drinking water," explains Mary Stewart, R.D., L.D., the founder of Cultivate Nutrition in Dallas. "In fact, one study found that participants experienced an increase in caloric burn 24 minutes after drinking water."
The more hydrated you stay, the fewer wrinkles and fine lines you'll see. Water helps your skin maintain moisture, which increases your elasticity. The more elastic your skin, the fewer wrinkles you'll see.
Water helps you stay healthy, avoid dehydration and reduces your risk of getting a hangover. Staying well hydrated could also help slow aging, according to a recently published study by the National Institutes of Health.
In fact, water is about 60 percent of collagen's total weight. Experiments that remove water from collagen have shown that it dramatically impacts the tensile force of the protein, which has serious implications for skin health. Drinking more water will keep your collagen hydrated, and wrinkles at bay.
Why Is My Face So Sunken? As we get older, collagen, elastin, and even facial fat pads break down, resulting in some changes that can cause the appearance of a sunken face. The effect is even more pronounced when the fat pads begin to drift south, which can exacerbate sunken cheeks and undereye hollows.
The study found that drinking 2.25 liters (9.5 cups) of water every day for four weeks altered skin density and thickness. A second study from the University of Missouri-Columbia showed that drinking 500 milliliters of water (about two cups) increased blood flow to the skin.
When you drink too much water, your kidneys can't get rid of the excess water. The sodium content of your blood becomes diluted. This is called hyponatremia and it can be life-threatening.
Any extra water being held in the body is referred to as “water weight.” When water builds up in the body, it can cause bloating and puffiness, especially in the abdomen, legs, and arms. Water levels can make a person's weight fluctuate by as much as 2 to 4 pounds in a single day.
If the outermost layer of the epidermis doesn't contain enough water, skin will lose elasticity and feel rough. Despite this connection, however, there's a lack of research showing that drinking extra water has any impact on skin hydration or appearance.
You'll eat less, since water acts as an appetite suppressant. Water helps your body flush out toxins and eliminate waste products. Water helps reduce the risk of many diseases and ailments, including bladder and colon cancer. Water clears up your complexion.
If you drink too much water, you can put yourself at risk for hyponatremia. Hyponatremia can happen when the body's sodium level is too low. This can happen when you're constantly drinking water and your body is holding much of it. It then can cause the sodium in your body to become diluted.
When you drink a glass of water, it takes approximately 15 minutes for your body to absorb the fluid. However, when you're dehydrated, it can take about three times as long (45 minutes) for fluids to make their way from the stomach into the bloodstream and to the rest of the body.
In the early stages of dehydration, your body tries to hold on to fluid causing water retention. Water is drawn into the blood vessels, causing them to swell. This leads to areas of the body, especially the face, becoming bloated and puffy looking.
Carbohydrates, such as bread, white rice, and pasta, cause facial bloating due to water retention and an increase in inflammation. Limit the intake of processed carbs and replace them with whole foods, such as vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds.
People who drink too much water might gain weight suddenly due to swelling and excess water in the bloodstream. If you're drinking more than 10 cups of water each day and notice swelling or discoloration in your hands, lips, and feet, consider cutting back on your water intake and see if your symptoms subside.
Health experts commonly recommend eight 8-ounce glasses, which equals about 2 liters, or half a gallon a day. This is called the 8×8 rule and is very easy to remember. However, some experts believe that you need to sip on water constantly throughout the day, even when you're not thirsty.