Drinking 2 liters (8 glasses) of water is needed daily for hydrated glowing skin. True or false?
The answer is false. There is no scientific basis for this statement. The theory is that a hydrated body equates to hydrated skin. This theory we know is definitely true. However, no one knows for sure how much water ingestion is needed for proper skin hydration. This figure would depend on a number of factors including one’s weight, height, metabolism, external weather environment, and physical activity.
So how did we get to this 8 glasses of water a day?
This figure was likely calculated from a 1945 document that recommended we need about 1ml of water for each calorie we consume.
This works out to be 6-8 glasses of water a day. But this isn’t the full story – the document also stated that we can get much of this water from the foods we consume.
This means that we do not need to actually drink 8 glasses of water a day. This figure which is wide spread on the internet is believed to have been possibly encouraged by companies promoting the sale of water. In fact, super excessive water consumption can affect your normal electrolyte balance.
Does this mean that you should not drink 8 glasses of water a day? The answer is no, as 8 glasses of daily water is not likely to hurt you. We still need an adequate daily intake of water. With some people, 5 glasses may be sufficient. The key is to not become dehydrated, as dehydration will be detrimental to your skin. Remember that your skin is a large organ with cells that need water to remove toxins, maintain it’s natural moisturizing ability, stay plump, and help fight free radicals.
Drinking water helps only with hydration at the internal level.
In some cases, you can be internally hydrated and still have externally dehydrated skin.
To maintain a good skin hydration balance from both the inside and outside, click here to read more.
If you don’t like the idea of consuming tons of water, opt instead for anti-oxidant rich fruits like watermelons, berries, drink caffeine-free smoothies, cucumbers, citrus fruits, and low sodium soups.
