Can drinking plenty of water really help clear up skin issues like pimples and acne? Learn just what water can do for your skin here.
Being told to drink more water to help with your skin and reduce acne is nothing new.
In one study with 1,236 acne patients, 87% of participants report trying to drink more water in order to help manage their acne.
Also Read: Testosterone & Acne: Is This Hormone Causing Your Zits?
In this article, we will review the potential benefits of increased hydration on your skin, and evaluate if drinking more water should be part of your daily skincare routine.
To start off, what do know about hydration and overall skin health:
Helps with healing and protects against damage
Reduced skin hydration can upset the skin integrity and make it more prone to issues.
A moist skin environment has been shown to actively support the healing response.
Plumps up cells
Hydrated skin cells physically plump up in volume, and may help with firmer and smoother-looking skin.
Reduces dry, flaky, tight skin
Dry, flaky skin is not a good look on anyone.
Drinking more water helps those skin cells get the hydration they need to stave off those flakes.
May reduce overproduction of oils
Dry skin that is overly stripped of natural oils may try to compensate by ramping up oil production.
In those that are already combating acne, increased sebum production is usually not good news.
Helps your kidney, liver, and lymphatic system properly flush out toxins
Your body is constantly coming in contact with toxins or metabolism by-products that eventually need to make their way out of your body.
If you are not hydrated enough to keep things moving along and your kidneys and liver functioning properly, this may show up on your skin.
Reduces face puffiness
When you are not drinking enough water, your body will try to retain more water than usual.
This could show up on the skin as facial puffiness.
Some studies show that skin with acne may be at risk of being more dehydrated than matched controls without acne.
One study reports that skin hydration levels in those with acne were lower than in controls without acne.
Another study found that acne patients have a reduced water barrier to help keep skin moisturized as compared to control with no acne.
This suggests that proper hydration may be even more important to those with acne, due to a less functional water barrier on the skin.
Learn More: Does Hyaluronic Acid Help Acne & Acne Scars?
When choosing which beverages to drink for better skin, nothing tops clean, unflavored water.
If you absolutely need some additional flavor, opt for unsweetened flavored water, or add in a few drops of unsweetened water flavor.
The worst beverages for your skin may be those that are highly sweetened or dairy-based.
The basic recommendation for daily water consumption is consuming at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day.
The Mayo Clinic suggests a little bit more at about 11.5 cups a day for women and 15.5 cups a day for men.
However, your water requirements may vary based on your exercise routine, your environment, or your current health conditions.
There are a few reasons backing up proper hydration for good overall skin health, but nothing definite concluding that increasing water intake can fully clear up all cases of acne.
However, there are only upsides to making sure you are properly hydrated on a daily basis, so there is no reason to not try to drink at least the daily recommended amount of water.
You may find that increased water consumption helps with the condition of your skin, or you may find no change, but proper hydration will definitely not worsen any of your skin problems.
For these reasons, we vote yes for attempting to hydrate more in attempt to benefit your skin...there is no downside here!
If you are sufficiently hydrated and still finding that your acne is showing no signs of clearing any time soon, you may need some additional help in the form of a prescription acne cream.
Our physician and pharmacist formulated Strut Acne Formula combines prescription-strength acne ingredients to help give your skin a fresh start.
Have a free online questionnaire-based consultation with our doctors today to see if Strut Acne Formula is a good choice for your complexion.
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