If your skin has ever felt more like sandpaper than a baby's bottom, you
know how miserable dry skin can be. Dry skin can cause all sorts of discomfort,
including peeling, flaking, cracking, redness and itching. The good news is you
can avoid that all-over itchy feeling by taking time to keep your body well
hydrated from the inside out.
The obvious way to get rid of dry skin externally is to moisturize
regularly. If you can remember to slather on the moisturizer right after you
get out of the tub, even better. Other steps you can take to soothe your dry
skin include taking shorter baths and using warm water instead of hot to shower
or bathe [source: American Academy of Dermatology].
But the old adage that it's what's on the inside that counts also
applies to the health of your skin. What you put into your body can help get
rid of dry skin and prevent new dry patches from forming. Since you need to eat
and drink anyway, you might as well get the most from your daily diet, and that
means using your intake to output healthy skin. What you eat and drink can not only
boost your energy and your immune system, it can also help keep your skin
hydrated.
In addition to keeping your skin soft and supple, hydrating from the
inside out is important to your general health and bodily functions. If you get
dehydrated, you can wind up weak and dizzy. And in some extreme cases, if you
lose too many fluids, you might require a trip to the emergency room for fluid
treatment [source: WebMD: Dehydration].
You
can avoid dehydration -- and dry, scaly skin to boot -- by maintaining good
hydration levels. Keep reading to find out just how helpful hydration can be.
Hydration and Skin Dryness
With all the hype on TV and in
magazines about how much water you need to drink each day, you might think that
people are like marine mammals, unable to survive on land. Obviously that's not
the case, but even though you stroll around on dry land, your skin and the rest
of your body still need water.
Keeping hydrated means getting enough
water so that your body can function efficiently. Researchers disagree on how
much water is enough to stave off dry skin, but at the very least you should
need from 4 to 8 cups (about 1 to 2 liters) of liquid a day to keep reasonably
hydrated, and that liquid should preferably be water [source: Bouchez: Feed].
The Institute of Medicine recommends that women drink nine cups of plain water
every day and men drink 13 [source: Mayo Clinic: Water]. The bottom line is that you need water, and lots of it, to be
healthy.
There are several of reasons why you
may not be getting enough water to make keep your skin healthy. Anything that
makes you sweat a lot, such as exercise or being out in the sun, causes you to
lose fluids. Getting sick can dehydrate you too, particularly if you have a
fever, diarrhea or are vomiting [source: WebMD: Dehydration]. In such cases, you might need to drink even more water to replace
what was lost.
Remembering to drink enough water can
sometimes be a chore, but there are a couple of different ways to make the job
easier. First, you can use a set of guidelines, perhaps something your doctor
recommends or guidelines from a reputable source like the Institute of
Medicine, and follow them every day. You can also make it a point to drink one
or two glasses of water with every meal. Keep a water bottle on your desk at
work or in your car, and sip often. If you'd like a little flavor with your
water, try adding a lemon wedge or a splash of fruit juice.
If you're thinking it would be nice
to have some food to go with all that water, keep reading to find out which
foods can also help you stay hydrated.
THE WONDERS OF WATER
Since about 60 percent your body is made of water, it makes sense that
water would play an important role in your body's functions [source: Mayo Clinic: Water]. Water is like the ultimate shipping system, transporting nutrients to
your cells and whisking away toxins [source: Bouchez: Diet].
The next time you feel thirsty, instead of reaching for that soda, grab a glass
of water instead. Your skin, and the rest of your body, will thank you.
Foods That
Moisturize Skin
If you want to do everything you can
to moisturize your skin, don't stop at applying moisturizer and drinking a lot
of water. You can make "you are what you eat" your new mantra and
choose foods based on how they will help your skin.
To get the most out of your daily
meals, try including the following items in your diet:
Omega-3s -- Your skin has a natural barrier to help retain moisture, and
that barrier contains omega-3 fatty acids. Try adding flax seed, salmon and
walnuts to your diet to boost your omega-3 intake and moisturize your skin
[source: Fries]. Some research suggests that foods that have vitamin E in addition to
omega-3s, such as nuts and whole grains, provide an extra skin booster
[source: Bouchez: Feed].
Spinach --Move over, Popeye, because spinach isn't just for making your muscles
big. In addition to being chock full of vitamins, such as skin-strengthening
vitamin A, spinach has plant compounds that -- according to some research --
help to keep your skin healthy [source: Mayo Clinic: Eating Well].
Berries --It turns out that berries aren't just tasty and fun to eat; they're also
really good for healing your skin. Berries not only contain juice to help you
hydrate, but they've also got antioxidants and vitamin C that protect your skin
[source: Frank]. The antioxidants and other chemicals in the berries work to help your
skin cells stave off damage [source: Bouchez: Foods].
What you put in your mouth can help
your skin, but if you want to keep that healthy glow, there are also some foods
and beverages you should avoid. Read the next page to learn which items to
leave on the grocery store shelf.
TAKING VITAMINS
In addition to eating foods that boost the moisture level of your skin,
you can also supplement your diet with vitamins. In particular, vitamins A and
B3 can help strengthen and maintain your skin [source: Medline Plus: Vitamins]. You can also try vitamins C and E for their antioxidant properties
[source: Bouchez: Feed].
But be careful that you don't load up on vitamins, because many of them, such
as vitamin A, are toxic if you take too much [source: Eledrisi].
If you want to use vitamins to enhance your diet, talk to your doctor about implementing
a proper supplement plan.
Foods and Drinks That Dry Skin Out
You've got the hang of what to eat
and drink to keep you skin moist, but to keep on properly moisturizing from the
inside out, you also need to know what to avoid.
Alcohol acts as a diuretic, meaning it causes your body to create more
urine, sending you on more frequent trips to the bathroom. Urinating more than
usual can dehydrate you by causing you to lose fluid more quickly than normal
[source: Mayo Clinic]. So, if you choose to consume alcohol, be sure to drink plenty of
water with it to replace any lost fluids.
Caffeine has long been believed to act as a diuretic also, but this might
not be so. It acts only as a mild diuretic, and you would have to consume more
than 4 to 7 cups of a caffeinated drink per day in order to see the effects
[sources: WebMD: Caffeine Myths, Zeratsky].
So, you don't necessarily have to give up that jolt of java, but you should at
least be aware of how much caffeine you're drinking and what it can do to your
skin. Caffeine lurks in coffee, tea, soda and energy drinks, so you may be
consuming more of it than you think.
The bottom line with alcohol, and
caffeine in extreme cases, is that if you are dehydrated, your skin isn't
getting enough moisture and it can dry out. If you're trying to moisturize from
the inside out, you will want to limit these drying culprits, or avoid them
altogether.
Overall, drinking plenty of water,
eating a variety of healthy foods and watching your caffeine and alcohol intake
will put you on the road to healthy, moist and supple skin. For more
information on moisturizing inside and out, follow the links on the next page.
CHECK YOURSELF
If you're worried that you might be dehydrated, you can perform a simple
test to check. Gently pinch your skin and watch what happens to it. If your
skin bounces right back, your hydration level is probably fine. But if it
doesn't bounce back and instead sort of stays together, that could be a sign of
moderate to severe dehydration. Your doctor can perform other tests to be sure,
including blood tests to look for signs that your blood is concentrated and to
check the levels of your electrolytes [source: Medline Plus: Dehydration].
