While scrolling social media recently, a post claiming that warm water is effective against any skin issue, and also makes it glow, caught our attention. An Instagram page Indian_Veg_Diet noted, “Medical experts say that warm water is most beneficial if there is a skin problem or to bring a natural glow to the face. In fact, in a few days, your skin will start glowing and become pimple-free too.” But, does it actually help?
To find out this very answer, we reached out to experts. Keep scrolling to know what they told us.
Dr Jaishree Sharad, a cosmetic dermatologist, told this portal that drinking warm water leads to sweating, which is a natural mechanism for releasing toxins from the body. “Warm water also improves sinus congestion by reducing puffiness or swelling around the eyes. Lukewarm water also speeds up digestion by helping better absorption of nutrients. And if the gut is clean, the skin remains clean too,” Dr Sharad said.
However, the expert added that there is very little scientific evidence of any direct benefit of drinking warm water to the skin except that it releases nasal congestion and causes “a little extra sweating which can also be obtained by other methods such as taking steam or exercising respectively”. But there is no denying the fact that warm water helps detoxify the body naturally.
“Warm water hydrates the skin, avoids dryness and flakiness, and naturally moisturises the skin, which helps the skin to glow naturally,” Dr. Rinky Kapoor, consultant dermatologist, cosmetic dermatologist and dermato-surgeon, The Esthetic Clinics told indianexpress.com.
Dr. Kapoor added that drinking warm water improves blood circulation in the body. “Proper blood flow will ensure that adequate nutrients are delivered to the skin cells, and that is how you will get healthy skin too,” he mentioned.
Gut health affects your skin too (Source: Getty Images/Thinkstock)
How much to have?
Dr Sharad went on to state that “if the gut is clean, the skin remains clean”. “When your body is dehydrated, the skin gets dehydrated and loses its turgor. So, it is important to drink about two and a half to three liters of water per day, unless you have certain kidney or heart conditions where you are not supposed to drink too much water. The upper layers of the skin do not get them water from the deeper skin cells. Instead, they draw their water from the environment. Hence it is also important to moisturise the skin along with drinking water,” said Dr Sharad.
The US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine determined that an adequate daily fluid intake is: About 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) of fluids a day for men and about 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) of fluids a day for women. “The amount of water that your body needs depends on the climate, your body weight, sex, and physical activity levels. Make sure you don’t overload yourself with water because too much water can lead to reduction in sodium (which helps regulate the amount of water in and around the cells) which can cause hyponatremia,” warned Dr. Sharad.
Is drinking warm water enough?
Drinking water alone may not show any results on the skin. “One has to have a healthy diet consisting of brightly colored fruits and vegetables, green leaves, zero sugar, less salt, no alcohol and no smoking. These should be coupled with exercise, and sufficient sleep,” said Dr. Sharad.
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