Acne has been surrounded by ‘old wives tales', home remedies and cure-alls for generations. Severe acne can cause permanent scarring on the skin, devastate a sufferer's self-confidence and is invariably suffered by all teenagers at some time in their life. Drinking plenty of water is known to help some skin conditions, but will it cure acne?
Mythbusting the stories
The simple answer is no, drinking water is not a cure for acne in itself, but it can help to compliment other treatments. The standard advice is to drink up to eight glasses of water a day (roughly equivalent to two litres). Apart from the fundamental requirement that the body has for hydration, drinking water can and does have health benefits, including aiding in the treatment of skin conditions.
Acne is caused by a wide range of factors, from the type of skin you have (those with oily or combination skins tend to suffer more from acne than those with dry skin), if you have a predisposition towards acne, bacterial infections or even poor grooming habits.
People with oily skin do suffer more from acne, and if the extra oil secretion is due to a lack of water and moisturising, then drinking the recommended two litres of water a day will help to reduce the amount of oil secretion and consequently, reduce the chances of acne from developing. Water is important to your health because, apart from being 70% water ourselves and essential to life, it helps to flush out toxins from the body. Staying hydrated will help eliminate any build up of toxins, and is recommended as part of any skin treatment programme. Skin clinics recommend that their clients bolster any skin treatment method by drinking plenty of water every day. This allows the kidneys (the body's filtration system) to operate properly and remove any toxins harmlessly from the body.
The ‘eight glasses a day' is not a hard and fast rule. It depends on the individual, how much exercise you do, for example, and how active a life you lead.
How can water help acne?
The most common cause of acne (other than poor skin hygiene) is a hormonal imbalance. These hormones trigger an increase in the production of sebum production from the sebaceous glands present just below the surface of the skin. Sebum's purpose is to keep the skin moist and prevent it from drying out to the extent that it cracks, potentially leading to serious infection. The problem of acne occurs when the mouth of these glands, manifesting as openings or pores in the skin, become blocked with dust and dead skin mixed with sebum.
The sebum cannot escape and accumulates below the skin, causing the characteristic red, painful and inflammatory heads known as acne. Drinking plenty of water helps the body flush this excess of sebum out of the body whilst still keeping the skin adequately hydrated. By drinking plenty of water, you can allow your body's natural cooling system - sweat - to operate correctly, opening the mouth of the sebaceous glands and helps remove the blockage that leads to acne in the first place.
Skin clinics understand how drinking plenty of water every day can help to improve skin conditions such as acne and, although it isn't a cure, water is essential to healthy skin and keeping the body functioning efficiently. If you are suffering from a skin condition such as acne and want to learn more about skin treatments, talk to a professional dermatologist or skin treatment expert who will be able to advise you on the best course of action for your condition.
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