Is Drinking Water Enough for Better Skin Health?
It's crucial keeping the body hydrated in any season. It is no secret that drinking water is essential to living as it keeps your body healthy and functioning properly. Drinking water helps regulate our organs, flush out toxins, maintain our body temperature, keep our brains sharp, promote digestion, encourage weight loss, and reduce fatigue and headache. This list of benefits goes on and on; although experts agree that drinking lots of water will improve overall health, they argue that there needs to be more data to conclude that water affects skin hydration in healthy people. If you are looking to maintain hydrated skin, we have some tips to share with you.
Steps in Keeping Hydrated
Drink Lots of Water
Generally, experts recommend that adults drink between 6 - 8 glasses of water per day. Hydration can include beverages like teas, juices and food.
Reduce Caffeine, Sugars, and Alcohol
I don't mean to be a party pooper, but beverages high in sugars, caffeine and alcohol will work towards dehydrating your body and act more as diuretics.
Humidifiers
The air inside can be just as dry as the air outside, and air conditioners and heaters remove moisture from the air. A humidifier will help control the climate inside your home/office by pulling in the moisture you need to retain skin hydration.
Long Hot Showers and Baths
Ever wonder why you feel thirsty after a hot bath or shower? Naturally, your body temperature increases in a hot bath/shower, and your body sweats by regulating the temperature. The longer we shower, the more we sweat, and as a result, we dehydrate the skin. Keeping baths/showers shorter and at lukewarm temperatures will help with hydration. Also, avoid harsh soaps and alcohol-based products that can dry out the skin.
Moisturize with Hydrating Skin Products
Don't leave your skin to dry out. Moisturize your skin immediately following a bath or when your skin is damp. Again, please do not use harsh products or aggressive cleansers, as they will dry out and irritate the skin. Try water-based hydrating skin products for the face and body with ingredients glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and urea. For the face, we recommend Vivier Hydrating Mask and for the body, their Age-Defying Lotion. If you are unsure, please contact us, and one of our estheticians will be happy to provide a product best suited for your skin needs.
When it comes to keeping the skin hydrated, drinking water is just the first step out of many that will help maintain this goal.