Why Drinking Water is Good for Your Skin.
Janis Covey PharmD
Do you know that your body is composed of 60% water? I know that sounds crazy, but it's true. Water is found in every cell in your body and is responsible for many vital tasks. Water carries nutrients around the body, flushes toxins out, regulates body temperature and lubricates your joints, just to name a few.
Your skin is the largest organ in your body and your body's first line of defense. It protects us from the harmful elements of the outside world. Healthy skin not only looks better but also is better equipped to protect you.
So what does water intake have to do with the health of your skin? When your body is dehydrated, your blood will thicken. Your body's response to this is to pull water from the cells that make up your skin causing your skin to become dehydrated. The first sign of skin dehydration is that it becomes dry and flaky. The long-term effect of skin dehydration is that it will become less resilient making it more prone to wrinkles and environmental effects.
To keep your skin hydrated and looking its best, you should:
1. Make sure you are drinking enough water to keep yourself hydrated. You generally should drink 1/2 to 1 ounce of water for each pound you weigh. So if you weigh 150 pounds, you should consume between 75 and 150 ounces of water a day. But keep in mind these needs can vary based on outside temperature (the hotter it is the more water you will require) and how much you're exercising.
2. Apply a moisturizer within the first few minutes after showering. This will seal the moisture into your skin. Our lotion bars are excellent for this reason.
3. Limit alcohol and caffeine consumption. Both of these trick your body into excreting more water than it should.