Does drinking extra water help skin?

                                   If I drink a lot of water, will it help my skin?

Most people have the idea that drinking an excess of water will affect their skin's health.
  
Water is essential for overall health.  All of our organs need proper hydration, but it is not clear whether drinking extra water has a direct effect on how moist your skin is or on your skin's suppleness. 
WebMD explains 
        "Dehydration makes your skin look dry and more wrinkled, but once you are properly    hydrated, the kidneys take over and excrete excess fluids."

It is as if you have a sponge with water and oil in your dermal layer of skin and the stratum corneum, outer skin layer, pulls from it as it needs it. 
Your skin's suppleness mostly has to do with the evaporation of water from your skin.


Skin has a Natural Moisturizing Factor (NMF) that helps regulate the moisture in your skin. This NMF functions to keep the water in your skin from evaporating.


It can be said that moisturizers play more of a role in your skin's hydration drinking water.but like excess water, your skin does not utilize excess moisturizer.

Reasons for excess dryness can be from loss of estrogen in the aging patient, being in a low humid climate, or getting dehydrated from excess sweat and heat.

Moisturizing creams, along with NMF, help hydration because of their occlusive and humectant qualities. Creating a barrier, they help to prevent water evaporation from your skin. Due to recent science, some moisturizers can penetrate deep enough to help the "sponge" out. 
We carry some of these creams in our office.


Understand that it is vital for your body's health to drink plenty of water, approximately 60 - 80 ounces a day, Your organs, including your skin, will take what it needs and your kidneys will excrete the rest.

Hope this info is helpful:)
Liz