Psst: hey you…yes you, do you suffer from dry skin?
Okay, we understand that’s not really a question people ask one another in their day-to-day life. It’s intrusive, borderline rude, and just kind of off-putting. Dry skin is one of those afflictions nobody likes to talk about; we’d all rather just suffer in silence and hope that it goes away. Just be aware that if you do have your bouts with it, trust us, you’re not alone.
Drink More Water.
No, that’s not a cure for dry skin, but it’s a suggestion that can certainly help. For many, dry skin is a seasonal issue—usually, winter brings on more cases of dry skin than any other season for a variety of reasons:
- Skin tends to be driest in winter when temperatures and humidity levels plummet. But the season may not matter as much if you live in desert regions.
- Hot baths and showers. Winter tends to bring on more long, hot showers or baths that can dry your skin.
- Cold temperatures outside lead us to seek warmer temperatures inside. Central heating, wood-burning stoves, space heaters, and fireplaces all reduce humidity and dry your skin.
Hey, we get it, cold temperatures in the winter make a lot of us turn to longer, hotter showers and baths and more fires and space heaters. Those things tend to sap our skin of moisture though, so drinking more water can help replenish your skin.
While drinking lots of water in the summer months is intuitive—we’re more often hot, sweaty, and thirsty, you should drink just as much water during the winter. As we’ve told you before in this spot, drinking an adequate amount of water daily is important for overall good health because sufficient water aids in digestion, circulation, absorption and even excretion.
But what about drinking large amounts of water for proper skin health? Claims have been made that drinking water gives you a radiant, healthy, younger-looking complexion, while others say it does not affect skin’s appearance whatsoever. Which is true?
Skin is an organ, and just like any other part of the body.
Your skin is made up of cells. And skin cells, like any other cell in the body, are made up of water. Without water, the organs will certainly not function properly or at their best. If your skin is not getting a sufficient amount of water, the lack of hydration will present itself by turning your skin dry, tight and flaky. Dry skin has less resilience and is more prone to wrinkling. That’s pretty simple math, isn’t it? Drink more water, have less dry skin.
As water is lost in large quantities every day, you need to replace it somehow. Drinking at least eight glasses a day will help rid the body and skin of toxins. Many people often report that by increasing their water intake, their skin has a more radiant glow. Nothing will happen overnight, but even a good couple of weeks of increasing water intake should be enough for you to see how hydration affects your skin.