Beauty Sleuth #5: Quenching Your Skin’s Thirst

“My skin is so dry. I’m not drinking enough water…” I hear this so, so often. Fact or fib? I mean do you have to drink that much water a day to keep your skin properly moisturized? 

Well, even though we have all heard this comment frequently, you might be surprised to hear that drinking eight 8 oz glasses of water a day is not the “end all” for moisturizing the skin. In fact, in terms of how dry your skin feels, outside humidity is much more of a determining factor than how much water you have consumed that day or even over weeks. 

But does it have an effect? Possibly. The jury is out. However, what is not in dispute is the fact that water will reach all the other organs in your body before it reaches the skin, despite what VOSS or EVIAN or Jennifer Aniston might perpetuate in their marketing. And the water you do drink does not make it to the outermost layers of your skin, which are the ones that show the wrinkles, dryness etc. There is no proof that 8 ounces 8 times a day is needed. Many doctors will also tell you that too much water can dilute needed daily nutrients internally.

That being said, severe hydration CAN cause your skin to dry out. But we are talking severe, like “I’m going to pass out” severe, here. 

Some doctors do believe that water can temporarily plump the skin and make your skin appear less dry and wrinkle-ly. And consuming water can’t hurt, unless you go crazy! But most docs agree that a quarter-size dollop of a good moisturizer (see below) will do much more for your skin than drinking a quart of water. 

And I think that is more to the point. When someone says to me “My skin is dry, I have to drink more water.” What I really want to know is, are you using quality skincare with right ingredients every day, in combination with getting enough water? Because that is what will make the big difference. 

Ways to get moisture to stay in your skin: 

• Apply a hydrating moisturizer within 2 minutes of leaving the bath or shower. The skin is still porous and is vulnerable to products that are applied following the bath or shower, allowing better absorption.

• Apply a product containing hyaluronic acid prior to your moisturizer. I like these patches. Hyaluronic acid holds 1,000 times its own weight in water, thus attracting water to the skin and holding it there.

• If you find you have red, irritated skin, your skin’s lipid barrier could be compromised, limiting its ability to keep moisture in. Find a routine like this one, that will help help strengthen skin’s own natural moisture barrier, improving resiliency and making skin less prone to irritation.