Drinking water is necessary to stay alive and is naturally good for the body, but how does it affect the skin? Since dehydration is a prime cause of aging and hydrated skin heals itself more quickly and efficiently, getting plenty of H2O is essential for optimal skin health. Fortunately, there is more than one way to get water. Sure, drinking water is the most obvious path, but there are additional avenues. Read on to get your fill!

Why Is Water Important?
To think, feel, and function your best, drinking water needs to be part of your daily lifestyle. Consuming an adequate amount keeps your body working like a well-oiled machine, with countless benefits and long-lasting effects. As water increases hydration from within, it lubricates and cushions joints, maintains body temperature, and bathes our brains and spinal cords in vital moisture. It keeps your eyes, nose, and mouth moist and healthy, plus it carries oxygen, minerals, and nutrients to your cells. Water helps stave off oxidative stress, protects tissues and organs, and facilitates waste elimination from our bodies. It is also found to improve physical performance, aid digestion and nutrient absorption, help to avoid constipation, and assist in reaching your weight loss goals. Some studies show that optimal hydration levels can help manage diabetes, reduce the risk of stroke, and prevent kidney stones, urinary tract infections, and hypertension. Other sources indicate that it can even reduce the risks of cancers like bladder, colon, and breast.

Note: This content is for information only and not intended as medical advice. Consult your physician if you have any health concerns.

Water Stats: We are between 55 and 60% water and lose 2 to 3 liters daily due to sweating, breathing, and urination. Just a 2% loss of your body’s water equals dehydration! To replenish fluid loss due to hot temperatures, high altitudes, exercise, fiber or protein-rich diets, alcohol, and caffeine, you must up the ante on your fluid intake to avoid dehydration.

Signs You Need More Water
A simple way to determine if you are getting enough is by paying attention to the color of your urine. If it appears dark, like the color apple juice (instead of lemonade-hued), it means you need to drink up. And, if you feel thirsty, that’s a sign you need a glass of water, stat! Thirst is the result of your brain signaling the release of anti-diuretic hormones that allow blood to absorb more water. If you notice you feel tired, moody, and itchy, have a headache or feel faint, and cannot think clearly, these are signs of dehydration. Maintaining optimal hydration levels is also thought to help with a lack of motivation, anxiety, and poor memory. Severe dehydration can cause life-threatening issues like brain swelling, seizures, and kidney failure, making water intake paramount for our survival. Another sign that you lack water is surface dehydration, exhibited by skin feeling dry, tight, and irritated, with the appearance of dullness and fine lines. Did you know you can overhydrate? Clear urine is a sign of overhydration, called hyponatremia, which can occur due to the overconsumption of water in a short timeframe. As a result, water intoxication may occur, as manifested by headaches, nausea, vomiting, swelling, cramping muscles, seizures, or death.

Benefits of Drinking Water for Skin
The skin needs water to preserve elasticity and resilience, speed healing, eliminate toxins, and maintain an optimal oil and water balance, to look and feel youthful, radiant, and healthy. While water intake is needed for good health, it alone does not fully address the needs of dehydrated skin. Skin dehydration refers to reduced water content in the skin (versus dryness, which indicates the amount of oil produced). Aside from inadequate water intake, other factors that can cause skin dehydration include harsh products that strip skin of vital moisture, lack of sleep, weather, air conditioning, nutrition, and lifestyle choices. Deeply moisturizing the skin helps correct the problem of surface dehydration and may boost collagen production.

Another Reason To Drink Up
Water helps flush out toxins and keeps the metabolism functioning properly, boosting energy and feelings of fullness. Without enough water, metabolism slows down. Bonus: Consume chilled water and get a 30 percent metabolic boost for 60 minutes, as proven in scientific studies.

Drink Wisely
Not sure how much or what kind to imbibe? The conventional recommendation to drink eight eight-ounce glasses of water has undergone revision. Today, the recommended amount depends on your weight and environment. The consensus is that men need 2.5 to 3.7 liters, or about fifteen and a half cups of water, while women can take in 2 to 2.7 liters or eleven and a half cups. Adjust according to your activity level, the temperature where you live, and your age. While beverages like coffee and tea made from water can replenish fluids and provide healthy antioxidants, they also have diuretic effects. Since this means they encourage water elimination, they are best consumed in moderation. Substitute with good old water, dairy or plant based milks, juices, and decaffeinated teas. Bear in mind, the sugars from alcohol and juices can cause collagen and elastin breakdown through a process called glycation.

Not a water fan? You can “eat your water,” as water from food comprises about 1/5 of our water intake. Water-rich soups and fruits and vegetables such as cucumbers, celery, zucchini, spinach, cantaloupe, carrots, and blueberries are fabulous options to supplement your liquid volume. Drink water infused with cucumber, herbs (basil, mint, rosemary), and fruits (lemon, lime, melons, strawberry, kiwi) or spicy cilantro, jalapeno, and ginger – whatever flavor will encourage you to drink up. What type of water is best to drink? Clean drinking water, that is free of harmful contaminants, is essential for optimal wellness. After that, it depends on who you ask. With the multiple types of water marketed today, from alkaline, purified, spring, mountain, steam distilled, reverse osmosis, sparkling, and smarter waters, it is no wonder that people are unsure what kind they should drink.

If you want to pursue store-bought options, here is a little information about some popular types:

• Alkaline water may be healthy if your body is out of pH balance but test your pH with a pH strip to see if you need it before purchasing.
• Steam distilled or reverse osmosis are methods to remove toxins, so these types have their merits.
• Spring, essentially the same as artesian water that collects minerals and nutrients as it travels down through the mountains, is also a good choice.
• Hardcore athletes who deplete salts and minerals from their bodies faster than they can replenish them may benefit from electrolyte-infused water.

Points to Ponder:
Before you hit the water tap, take a moment to be grateful for standards and practices that ensure your access to clean drinking water, which, unfortunately, not everyone has. That is why Pevonia has supported charity: water, an organization that endeavors to help bring clean drinking water to the 785 million people around the world that need it, one well at a time. Visit https://www.charitywater.org to learn more. Lastly, if you decide to go for bottled, please recycle responsibly to keep our planet healthy.

Natural Skin Care Solutions
You can support your water-drinking efforts with moisturizing natural skin care products. Carefully selected ingredients and formulations can dramatically impact skin moisture levels. When skin is properly moisturized, it preserves skin vitality by maintaining an optimal environment for its cells. It also improves elasticity and barrier function, decreasing sensitization by external aggressors and keeping skin plump, supple, calm, luminous, and youthful-looking.

Here are the best ingredients to increase your skin’s moisture levels topically:

• Pure Water: Products containing water that has undergone advanced processes to ensure skin health and product stability are an excellent beginning. Pevonia uses pure pharmaceutical grade, deionized, and sterilized water. Deionization is a filtration process that removes the negative charge in water caused by salt and minerals (calcium, magnesium, silica, fluoride, chlorine, and metal ions) present in tap water. Sterilization eliminates bacteria and micro-organisms that can harm the skin and formula purity.

• Hyaluronic Acid: A moisturizing superpower, this humectant acts as a water binder that distributes and increases the moisture content throughout the skin, preventing transepidermal water loss (TEWL).

• Collagen (Marine): It reduces TEWL within the skin, and as a macromolecule, provides plumping and soothing moisture to lines and wrinkles. As Collagen Polypeptides, it signals cells to repair and renew the skin from within, further increasing skin moisture.

• Elastin (Marine): Applied externally as a macromolecule, it provides moisture to lines and wrinkles and a toning effect to loose skin. As Elastin Polypeptides, it signals cells to repair and renew the skin from within, while reducing TEWL.

• Panthenol (Vitamin B5): Moisturizes and reduces sensitivity and discomfort by providing a protective film over the skin and an energizing effect on sluggish cells.

• Vitamin E (Tocopherol/Tocopherol Acetate): Nutrient-rich antioxidant that intensely moisturizes dry skin, supporting cellular membranes.

• Propanediol: Softens and smooths the skin by maintaining moisture and enhancing the absorbency of actives.

• Aloe (Aloe Barbadensis): Nature’s little helper helps repair skin damage and reduce irritation, while promoting natural moisture retention.

How To Avoid Skin Dehydration
Being consistent with your skincare regimen and choosing products that support your skin’s surface hydration is essential. Cleansing with a sulfate-free natural skin cleanser, toning with an alcohol-free toner, and following with a moisturizing serum and skin care cream twice daily will help keep your skin’s moisture content in check. Spritzing with a skin mist throughout the day is a great way to boost moisture, refresh, and rejuvenate parched skin. Our Hyaluronic Acid HydraMist features fragmented Hyaluronic Acid, which provides 1000 times the deep moisturization factor your skin craves, along with calming and skin-protecting ingredients that absorb quickly. To prevent surface dehydration, check out the Pevonia Evolutive Eye Cream, C Evolutive Eye Gel, Sun Care, and Special Care collections.

For skin with mild to moderate surface dehydration, use moisturizing products from the Power Repair® Line, Lumafirm® Line, and Spa Care for Him. The “C” Complexe with Oxyzomes and Resurfacing Glycocides® Cream make great additions to anyone seeking a radiant complexion. If your skin has more significant surface dehydration, intense moisture and skin repair from the Myoxy-Caviar® Timeless Line, Micro-Retinol® Line, and Stem Cells Phyto-Elite™ Line is required. Research shows that deeply moisturized skin absorbs up to 3 to 5 times more active ingredients from skin care products versus dry to dehydrated skin.

To maximize results and get the most out of your skincare investment, boost skin health with an in-depth consultation for your ideal products and professional spa treatments. Ask for the Anti-Free Radicals Mask Treatment, Collagen Infusion Treatment, Myoxy-Caviar® Mask Treatment, or SkinFit Myoxy-Caviar® Facial Treatment for Him. Visit Find A Spa for an oasis near you offering Pevonia!