Water and skin: what drinking can and cannot do

From the inside: what drinking does for the skin

Skin is the largest organ and is around 60 to 70 per cent water. When water is short, it is the first to be supplied less well, because the body redirects blood to the interior. The result: a sallow complexion, deeper fine lines, dry lips, slower wound healing. If you drink normally, there is nothing to gain here. If you chronically drink too little, you will see the difference after one to two weeks of drinking enough. Beyond that, more than enough does not make the skin plumper, because the water ends up in the bladder.

From the outside: what hard water does to the skin

Calcium and magnesium in hard water react with soap to form lime soap, a film that stays on the skin and itches. At the same time, hard water pushes the pH of the skin surface upwards, which weakens the protective barrier. People with dry skin or atopic dermatitis often notice a clear worsening when moving from a soft-water region to a hard-water region. How hard your water is can be found under Regions.

What helps

• Shower shorter and cooler: Five minutes at 35 °C instead of fifteen at 40 °C. Hot water dissolves the skin oils that form the barrier.
• Less soap: A mild, pH-neutral shower gel, not everywhere, not every day.
• Moisturise after showering: Within three minutes, while the skin is still damp.
• Shower filter or softener: With very hard water and sensitive skin, a water softener in the house or a shower filter with an ion exchanger helps noticeably. Activated carbon shower filters help against chlorine, not against limescale.
• Wash your face with soft water: Boiled or filtered water for washing is an old trick that works for limescale problems.

Bathing and swimming

Chlorinated water dries out the skin and irritates the eyes and mucous membranes. After swimming, rinse off under clear water and moisturise. Salt water is more pleasant for most skin types, often even helpful with atopic dermatitis, but rinse that off too.