Hydration and Skin Health: The Importance of Water for Your Skin
Skin health is important for everyone; glowing skin gives us confidence that makes us believe we can tackle anything in the day. But we seem to underestimate the importance of water in hydration and skin health.
Staying hydrated helps your skin perform its primary function - maintaining a barrier between your body and the world. On top of this, hydration also helps skin keep its elasticity and plumpness, giving us the healthy-looking skin we all seek.
But it isn't just the amount of water you drink that is important. The quality of water will also have an impact on the effectiveness of how hydration helps skin health.
At Culligan Zerowater, we are working hard to help improve the quality of water with advanced water filtration technology. In this blog, we discuss how hydration can impact skin health.
The Connection Between Hydration and Skin Health
Our body is 75% water, so it is no surprise that our skin, the largest organ of our body, needs it to function effectively.
Elasticity and Plumpness
Well-hydrated skin looks plump, radiant, full of colour and smooth. This is because water helps the elasticity of the skin, giving it the ability to stretch and return to its normal shape. It is this process that helps your skin stay smooth and less prone to developing lines and wrinkles.
But how does it help?
Hyaluronic acid is naturally found in the skin. It is known to hold up to 1,000 times its weight in water. So, it is this component of the skin that retains the moisture. When filled with water, HA acts as a hydrating barrier on the surface of the skin, creating instantly smooth and plump skin.
Underneath that are hyaluronates. These are smaller, more stable types of HA, which penetrate the deeper layers of the skin thanks to their molecular structure. In doing this, they provide hydration to areas that need it the most, also working to enhance elasticity over time.
Vibrant Skin
Staying well hydrated also helps your skin to look vibrant so you can achieve that natural glow that so many of us are chasing.
If you keep topping your body up with fluids and stay hydrated, you can improve blood circulation. This is a key step to improving the look of your skin as it provides oxygen and essential nutrients to your skin cells.
While your skin cells have all the nutrients they need, they can look smooth and full of colour. However, if you neglect your skin and it lacks hydration, it can often look dry and dull.
Detox of Skin
As the biggest barrier that interacts the most with the world around us, your skin is exposed to plenty of toxins.
Water helps your skin to flush the toxins and impurities out, keeping your pores clear and free from dirt. This is important for skin health as it reduces the development of acne and other skin issues.
Preventing Dryness and Irritation
As we mentioned above, water helps your skin perform its main function - acting as a barrier.
Not only does it help keep organs and bones in place, but it also shields them from environmental stressors, such as UV rays and bacteria.
When the skin is hydrated, the barrier is stronger, meaning it is less likely to become dry, irritated or sensitive in the face of these stressors.
How Water Quality Affects Your Skin
If your water is full of contaminants, it will affect your skin because it can disrupt the natural barrier and irritate the skin.
Common contaminants that will affect your skin health include:
- Chlorine - strips natural oils from the skin, leading to dryness and irritation.
- Heavy metals - metals such as lead, copper and mercury cause oxidative stress, leading to premature ageing, fine lines and dullness.
- Calcium and magnesium - leave residues on the skin that clog pores and prevent proper hydration.
- Fluoride - can trigger perioral dermatitis, causing red, bumpy rashes around the nose and mouth.
- Agricultural runoff - can cause sensitive skin or worsen conditions like psoriasis.
How To Improve Your Water For Skin Health
So, how do you improve water quality for better hydration and skin health?
While bottled water is one option, it can get expensive and isn't always better quality.
Therefore, water filters are recommended as they capture contaminants that adversely impact our skin health.
Culligan Zerowater produces one of the UK's leading water filter systems, using a 5-stage filter technology that utilises the science of deionization.
This process removes up to 99.9% of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) as well as lead by 99.7% and 95% of forever chemicals PFOA/PFOS.
When using a Culligan Zerowater filter jug or dispenser, you can be sure that your water is the best it can be for your skin health.
