What Women Want – glowing healthy-looking skin is one of those things. Beautiful clear skin, like most health outcomes, is due to many factors; good nutrition, adequate sleep, exercise, minimal alcohol usage, avoiding smoking, good skincare and, you guessed it – hydrating.
Research shows that water keeps your body hydrated and refreshed and helps maintain your skin’s elasticity. People who drink large amounts of water are less likely to suffer from scars, wrinkles, and soft lines and they won’t show as many signs of aging as those who drink little amounts of water***. As you grow older, it is tougher for your body to retain water, so by inputting more water into your system, you are helping your body and your skin stay hydrated giving you a fresher and younger looking skin.
Dehydration in the skin weakens its defense and creates skin sensitivity, irritation, and premature aging. When your skin becomes dehydrated, you experience symptoms of dryness, flakiness, roughness, irritation, and cracking; hence the look of prematurely aged skin.
Vitamin C and Skin Aging
Vitamin C affects cells on the inside and outside of the body and its antioxidant properties can be beneficial when it comes to aging. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2007** examined links between nutrient intakes and skin aging in 4,025 women aged 40-74. It found that higher vitamin C intakes were associated with a lower likelihood of a wrinkled appearance, dryness of the skin, and a better skin-aging appearance. In addition, topical treatments with Vitamin C have been shown in some studies to reduce wrinkles.
Vitamin C helps the body produce collagen and is present in skin, muscle, and other tissues. People with a low intake of vitamin C may experience slower wound healing, as their bodies will be less able to produce collagen. The Vitamin C deficiency disease referred to as scurvy is characterised by skin fragility, bleeding gums and corkscrew hairs as well as impaired wound healing.
Vitamin C and hydration together are an important part of a great beauty plan for vibrant, glowing skin.
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by Dr. Iftikhar Shah
reference: **The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 86, Issue 4, October 2007, Pages 1225–1231, https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/86.4.1225
