You may already be familiar with the health benefits for your body when you drink water. But what about the benefits for your skin? In particular acne-prone skin? Can drinking water help clear acne?
In some cases yes, drinking more water can help to clear up mild acne.
However, keep in mind that water isn’t a one-all cure for acne and won’t clear up your acne fast.
Along with drinking more water, It’s also important to follow a good skincare routine and practice healthy skin habits.
Your body is approximately 60 percent water and water is involved in almost every function of your body.
This means that you need to drink a lot of water to keep your body healthy and functional.
If you don’t drink enough water, your body and skin can become dehydrated. Dehydration can lead to skin damage, premature ageing can restrict your skin’s natural healing properties and of course acne.
So do your best to drink a minimum of 8 glasses of water per day. Your body and your skin will thank you!
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How drinking water can help clear up your acne
1. Keeps you hydrated
Without enough water, you run the risk of developing dry skin.
Dry skin can trigger excess oil production, which can cause acne. When you drink water you hydrate your body, which then hydrates your skin cells.
While drinking water is great for your body and by extension your skin, current research doesn’t show that drinking water alone has any direct impact on clearing up acne.
However, one study found that drinking more water can help keep your skin soft and smooth when used alongside a skincare routine that included a moisturizer and other skincare products.
2. Can support a healthy immune system
One of the many great benefits of drinking water is that it works as a natural immune system booster.
Water helps to support a healthy immune system which can help protect your body against infections, which can help prevent acne.
You can take advantage of the natural immune-boosting properties of water to help improve your health and your skin.
Water also plays a key role in the health of your skin microbiome, (the microorganisms that live on your skin) and is involved in regulating skin health.
The bottom line…you need water for glowing skin.
3. Helps natural detoxification
Despite an overreliance on detox teas, drinks and supplements etc, our bodies have a highly efficient, built-in detoxification system.
Your liver, kidneys, lungs, digestive tract, and skin all work together and are all involved in getting rid of waste and toxins from your body.
For this process to work your body needs water.
Water is essential for carrying nutrients throughout your body, flushing out toxins, and keeping your liver and kidneys working efficiently.
So how can this process help clear up your acne?
Well, your skin releases water as sweat, which can help remove toxins and heavy metals from your body naturally, preventing your pores from becoming clogged, and warding off breakouts.
5 Lifestyle changes that will also help keep pimples away
1. Wash your hands before you touch your face
Your hands are one of the most used parts of your body.
Over the day, your hands produce oil and come in contact with dirt and bacteria.
If you don’t wash your hands before touching your face, all of that oil, dirt and bacteria get on your face, into your pores and cause breakouts.
2. Change your pillowcases regularly
After a long night of tossing and turning, oil, dirt, dead skin cells, makeup residue and product from your hair can transfer onto your pillowcase then onto your face and into your pores.
If you reuse the same dirty pillowcase for days or even weeks, bacteria build-up can cause recurring acne.
So wash them regularly!
3. Always use a clean towel
Your towel might look clean, but just like your pillowcase, it can harbour dirt, dust, makeup, oil and dead skin cells that you can’t see.
Your towel then becomes a breeding ground for nasty bacteria.
Bacteria can be an underlying cause of acne and as you rub the towel on your face, you transfer bacteria to your face and into your pores, encouraging pimples and irritation.
So always use a clean towel on your face.
4. Moisturize everyday
Dry skin tends to produce more oil and this excess oil can clog your pores, which may then lead to more breakouts.
Using a daily moisturizer can prevent your skin from becoming dry and irritated and lessen acne flare-ups.
By keeping your skin hydrated and moisturized you reduce its need to produce oil.
And less oil means fewer chances of clogged pores which means less acne.
5. Sanitize your phone regularly
Your phone can also harbour bacteria that can find their way onto your face and into your pores leading to breakouts.
Have you ever noticed the streaks of oil and dirt on your phone left behind from your hands?
Yup. All of that can transfer onto your face if you don’t regularly clean and sanitize your phone.
According to one study, because of the tendency to take it everywhere with you (kitchen, bathroom etc), your cellphone can be dirtier than a toilet. Gross!
So do yourself a favour and keep your phone sanitized at all times and keep that grime off of your skin.
Final thoughts
So, can drinking more water help clear up your acne?
Well, current research doesn’t support claims that drinking water alone does much of anything to get rid of acne.
So despite its many benefits, just drinking water isn’t a cure-all for acne, unfortunately.
To reap the benefits, you need to drink a minimum of 8 glasses of water per day, and follow and stick with a good skincare routine and practice healthy skin habits.
But don’t let that stop you from staying hydrated! Drinking waterworks from the inside out to help you and your skin feel your best.
So although research on water intake and acne is limited, drinking water can still support your skin’s health in other ways.
It can help keep you hydrated, support your body’s immune function, and promote natural detoxification, all of which can help fight acne.
