How much water does your skin need?

originalHydrate, hydrate, hydrate. This fad-ish conversation of drinking more water has really got us thinking. Being properly hydrated helps our joints and helps our digestion but no where in this recent dialog am I hearing about how much we need for our skin.

“Back in the day” diet counselors and skin clinicians said to drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day. That 64 ounces felt like swimming in a 100 lb. woman but to a highly active 180 lb. man it bordered on dehydration. Most modern health advocates give us the formula of dividing your body weight in half and drinking that number of ounces. But where the skin is concerned there is more to consider.

Given that our bodies are 75% water it does make sense that we need to constantly replenish it to keep it going. Our skin specifically needs water to remain plump but interestingly only around 15% of what goes in our mouth ever makes it to the surface. This lack is compounded by the fact that as we age some of the bio-chemical components within the cells that are responsible for holding water in place diminish and our natural skin oils that form an evaporation protection barrier lessens.

Only 15% of the water we drink ever makes it to the surface of the skin.

This means that perhaps we need more water and definitely need to prevent dehydration. Once a cell flattens from lack of water it is very difficult to plump it back up and prolonged dehydration crystallizes some of those bio-chemicals leaving shards that can cut and damage cells. Damaged cells = wrinkles.

So how much is enough? That modern formula is seems to be pretty perfect but consider that if we are consuming dehydrating liquids or are exposed to wind & sun, or heat our homes with wood and forced air, or are perspiring daily with exercise, or flying on airplanes, we need even more. You know what they say; if you feel thirsty you are already dehydrated. And if your skin looks crepey like a desert floor then you are way, way past dehydration.

To keep your skin plump, in addition to the water consumption formula above, here are some replenishment calculations to help you understand your skin’s need for water:

  • Coffee, black or green tea, caffeinated sodas, alcohol.  These are all diuretics which means they cause the body to expel as much water as they put in.  For each ounce consumed replace with an equal amount of water.
  • Laxatives, magnesium.  These draw the water from the central parts of the body to the bowels and in the process dehydrating the outermost part of the body.  Drink several glasses of water for each one taken.
  • Hormonal therapies.  These block hormones that regulate the production of skin oil so skin dehydrates very quickly.  Drink as much extra as you can with water beverages that increase your electrolytes for better maintenance.
  • Flying on airplanes.  The air in the cabin is de-humidified to lighten the load of the plane so bodies dehydrate quickly.  For every hour on the plane drink 8 oz. of water.  Additionally misting the skin with water hourly is helpful.  My Rehance Mist is excellent for this.  NOTE: Most air sickness is due to dehydration.
  • Perspiration.  If you perspire a lot, many health advocates are recommending consuming up to a gallon of water.  I calculate that for every hour of perspiration I need an addition 16 oz. of water.
  • Exposure to the outdoor elements or over-heated homes.  Wind and sun dehydrate the surface of the skin as does air-blown heat in our homes.

THIS IS KEY: to help your skin maintain the water you give it, consider how the skin itself is designed to do so.  Sodiums and sugars within the cells are responsible for holding water in place and sebum produced in the oil glands released to the surface of the skin helps the bio-components themselves from drying out.  As I mentioned previously, as we age all of these become diminished thus the need to help our skin.  Moisturizing your body daily before the skin dries out is important.

  • Look for body and face moisturizers that contain water retaining ingredients like sodium PCA and sodium hyaluronate, beta-glucan and beta-fructan or polysaccharides.
  • Look for moisturizers that contain sebum-like oil such as squalane and oils that have nutritional omega-3  fatty acids like almond and olive and oils that help seal/sooth the skin like shea or sesame.

This is how I formulated my body lotion.

NOTE: a properly hydrated body should produce 6 to 8 cups of clear to slightly yellow urine per day.  If your urine is very yellow you are dehydrated.

Weather alert; put on your layers (of skincare)!




My routine:


Don’t rub it in and other winter moisturizing tips










Product knowledge; MeadowMilk Gentle Cleanser





How to apply a moisturizer

Applying a moisturizerUnless one understands that not all parts of the skin on the face are same, it is easy to either over or under moisturize resulting in undue breakouts or liney, crepey dehydration.  Did you know that what works on one part of the face may not work on another?  Let me help you to understand the different areas of the face and how to treat each as its own.

WHY IS THE SKIN DIFFERENT?:  The underlying support structure of the skin seems to determine how thick the skin is that lays over this web work; those heavy muscles at the outer edge of the face are protected by thicker more elastic skin while the inner areas have a thinner skin composition that is aided by extra oil production to keep it pliable.  Directly around the eyes where we don’t have any muscles it is thinnest with no oil glands.  It is this thickness or thinness that determines how much moisturizer our skin really can use.

HOW TO CHOOSE A MOISTURIZER: The easiest way to think about it is that the thin areas need “thinner” moisturizers and the thicker areas need more “thick” moisturizers.  I classify thin moisturizers are those that are literally thin – more water/less oil lotions, oil-free gels, sprays – that absorb fairly quickly or lie on the skin very lightly.  They “feel” light.  I classify a thick moisturizer as one that is literally thick – creamy, viscous, perhaps more oil – and finishes with a little bit of tack.  You can still “feel” them protecting the skin a tiny bit or a lot.

Thin skin = thin moisturizer.  Thick skin = thick moisturizer.

(Not to be confused with emotional sensitivities! 🙂 )

Face zones

SUPER SIMPLE MOISTURIZING ROUTINE: Choose a more dense moisturizer that will take care of the outer edges of your face.  Splash your face with water and use a dab of product dotted to all areas and spread it on very thin everywhere.  When that has dried, add more moisturizer without water to the outer edges of the face.

  • NOTE:  If your product has active ingredients or “treatment” in it do NOT use it around the eyes; it can be irritating.  Use a product designed for that area.

INTENSIVE MOISTURIZING ROUTINE:  Apply a thin moisturizer, like Glow or Rehance Mist, every where then apply your more intensive moisturizer at the outer edges of the face.

  • NOTE: You additionally want to use a product specifically designed for the eye area like EyesTea and/or EyesCreme or a finishing oil.

CORRECTIVE MOISTURIZING ROUTINE:  If you are trying to correct a deficit in your skin such as acne or hyper-pigmentation spotting or lining/aging then you will most likely be using another product which also acts like a slight moisturizer.  Layer product on the skin from the thinnest to the thickest.

  1. Sprays/tonics like Rehance Mist applied everywhere or Clarify Tonic avoiding eye area.
  2. Concentrated corrective serums like Crowd Control, Refining Concentrate or TLBC applied everywhere except eye area.
  3. Apply moisturizer to outer edges of face only. NOTE:  For drier skins, additional moisture may be needed; perhaps the moisturizer is applied everywhere or an all over moisture serum like Glow or GlowCustard can be used after step 2.
  4. Liquid make-up applied last helps protect all the moisturizing done previously and actually does add a bit of moisture.  However, it does not replace the need for a moisturizer.  BB cremes or all-in-one cremes/make-ups are not as effective as letting each product soak in and do its work all on its own.

Things that decrease the effectiveness of your moisturizer;  you may need more moisturizer than normal under these conditions:

  • Overly dry environments inside or outside
  • Exposure to wind
  • Consuming dehydrating liquids such as coffee, black teas or alcohol
  • If you have a fever

Things that increase the effects of your moisturizer;  you may need less under these conditions:

  • high humidity weather
  • a steamy work environment
  • lots of perspiration
  • an abundance of oil production in your skin

If you would like some help putting together a moisturizing routine that suits your skin type and life style, please contact me for an appointment.  603-491-7305