Drink Water and Mind Your Business

If You Drink Water, Will Your Skin Always Be Clear?

If you’ve never seen the words “drink water and mind your business” written anywhere, lucky you! Back in 2016, Gabrielle Union credited H20 for her flawless mug and started a trend of touting water for good skin. If you’re like Gabrielle and only need to drink water for perfect skin, congratulations, you’re probably a unicorn! For the rest of us mere mortals who have a hard time looking at anything sugary without breaking out, keep reading. We have a few tips you may find useful. 

For starters, the skin is an organ. Everyone’s favorite online doctor’s office says that the average person’s skin weighs about six pounds. The skin protects all of our internal organs from germs and infections. 

On average, the skin renews itself every 27 days. Blemishes, discolorations, and other issues stick around for a month or longer in the absence of topical agents that speed up the renewal process. Side note: do you see why we take issue with “drink water”? 

If 27 days is too long, there are a few solutions that may cut that process in half depending on the condition of your skin and frequency of treatments. We share some below. 

Drink water… or get a chemical peel

These days, chemical peels come in many forms and treat many superficial skin issues, including: fine lines and wrinkles, discolorations, scarring, and even age spots. A chemical peel is an acid solution – usually salicylic, glycolic, lactic, or kojic – that acts as an exfoliant. It penetrates the outermost or deeper layers of your skin to remove dead skin and reveal new, baby smooth skin.

The worst your issue, the deeper your peel should be. The amount of downtime required depends on the peel. Expect to spend anywhere from 7 to 14 days having people stare at you or ask what’s wrong with your skin as it flakes off. Minimize sun exposure and wear lots of sunscreen during and after this treatment to protect your sensitive skin from the sun’s rays. For some people, one peel is enough; for others, one peel every three weeks or every other month is good too. If you can afford it, why not? Good skin is always worth the investment if you ask us!

Drink water… or try micro needling

Medically known as collagen-induction therapy and commonly known as the vampire facial, this procedure is frequented by some of your favorite A-listers; most notably, Kim Kardashian-West. This noninvasive technique stimulates the skin’s production of collagen and elastin which promote plump, youthful looking skin. It is most useful for scarring and some superficial acne.

The downside? Well, if you don’t like needles, this procedure may or may not be the best for you. Why? A series of tiny needles are injected into your face to create tiny punctures. To prevent any pain or discomfort, most doctors use anesthesia to numb your face before it’s done. Some scarring from the needling may occur; your skin may also be red and itchy for a few days post treatment. As always, stay moisturized and use sunscreen if you must go outside! Depending on the intensity of your micro needling experience, you can have it done every 2-6 weeks.

Drink water… or consider photo therapy

Blue and red light therapy gained traction as a viable treatment for mild to moderate acne back in 2017. It kills stubborn acne that does not respond well to other treatments by using a special kind of light. If you’re concerned about radiation, no worries! Light therapy uses red and blue wavelengths which kill bacteria but do not damage the skin. Avoid direct sunlight and wear sunscreen in between treatments. Does light therapy help with scarring or discolorations? We can’t confirm just yet, but if you don’t have any acne to begin with, you won’t have any scars!

If you’re trying any of these in the New Year, we would love to hear how your experience went. Be sure to connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to let us know!