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.
Media Articles on the Benefits of Drinking Water
It went: “Doctors recommend drinking 8 glasses per day; however, we say make it a habit to drink at least 12 glasses a day. Not only will these keep you healthy, but will leave a radiant glow on your skin, which will make you look younger.”
“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.
Drink enough fluids every day
"Decreased body water content is the most common factor that increases serum sodium, which is why the results suggest that staying well hydrated may slow down the aging process and prevent or delay chronic disease."
Tighter Skin
A great way to help tighten the skin around your jawline, stomach, arms, and legs is to drink more water. That's because water helps improve skin elasticity, making it bounce back from sagging.
"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."
Reduces Wrinkles. Water keeps your body hydrated and refreshed and helps maintain your skin's elasticity. People who drink large amounts of water are less likely to suffer from scars, wrinkles, and soft lines and they won't show as many signs of aging as those who drink little amounts of water.
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.
When your skin becomes dehydrated you experience symptoms of dryness, flakiness, roughness, irritation, and cracking; hence the look of prematurely aged skin. These symptoms can be eliminated by replenishing the Natural Moisturizing Factor and normalizing the Stratum Corneum.
Researchers say that as people age, they need to drink more water to compensate for changes in their body temperature regulation. They say dehydration can cause a number of ailments, including muscle pain, fatigue, and heat exhaustion.
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.
Caffeine consists of certain antioxidants that protect skin cells. Skincare products with caffeine can give the skin a youthful look and help fight off blemishes.
Benefits of Drinking Water
Getting enough water every day is important for your health. Drinking water can prevent dehydration, a condition that can cause unclear thinking, result in mood change, cause your body to overheat, and lead to constipation and kidney stones.
Findings from a few studies suggest that eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables may help prevent damage that leads to premature skin aging. Findings from research studies also suggest that a diet containing lots of sugar or other refined carbohydrates can accelerate aging. Drink less alcohol.
From getting enough physical activity to limiting alcohol and stress, these habits reduce the risk of chronic disease and slow the aging process – helping you look and feel your best for years to come.
The good news is that these signs of dehydration can be easily reversed by re-hydrating our bodies and moisturizing our skin. Unfortunately, dehydrated skin is commonly misdiagnosed as dry skin, and the two are not the same.
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.
Water is a key ingredient that supports vitamins, which contribute to your hair growth. Believe it or not, but water makes up almost 25% of the weight of a single strand of hair. Drinking at least two liters of water a day will help the strength of your hair, increasing growth.
Too much water can dilute the salt in your blood enough to make you sick (it's called hyponatremia). Plus, you don't want to overdo it if you have certain health issues or take drugs that cause you to retain water, like NSAIDs, opiates, antidepressants, or others.