does drinking more water improves dry skin?

[nitsuj]

Is there anything to support that drinking more water improves dry skin remarkably?

[Ryan_m_b]

Nothing that I could find. I doubt it would, dry skin (xeroderma (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xeroderma)) is not caused by dehydration. The problem isn't one of lack of water, it is from loss of water from the skin.

[nitsuj]

Intuitively I thought the same. Dry skin is dead skin, and I don't think it is dead because there wasn't enough water. (to say it differently, I have just as much dead skin in the summer as in the winter. just in the winter my skin is dry so it is more noticeable)

Ryan we're debating this at work. Many are refferencing a saying that drinking more water makes your skin less dry. I think that is an old wives tale. Some sites (those without reference to the author) say that dry skin is an indicator of dehydration.

[Ryan_m_b]

Intuitively I thought the same. Dry skin is dead skin, and I don't think it is dead because there wasn't enough water. (to say it differently, I have just as much dead skin in the summer as in the winter. just in the winter my skin is dry so it is more noticeable)

Ryan we're debating this at work. Many are refferencing a saying that drinking more water makes your skin less dry. I think that is an old wives tale. Some sites (those without reference to the author) say that dry skin is an indicator of dehydration.

Well I did a quick search on Pubmed and Google scholar using terms like

xeroderma
hydration
dehydration
dry skin
drinking water
dead skin

In various AND/OR combinations. There may very well be something I've missed but I find it suspicious that the only times I actually saw any link between drinking water and dry skin is when I did a standard google search and got a bunch of non-accredited websites with no evidence.

[Greg Bernhardt]

Ryan we're debating this at work. Many are refferencing a saying that drinking more water makes your skin less dry. I think that is an old wives tale. Some sites (those without reference to the author) say that dry skin is an indicator of dehydration.

It is logical that if a person is dehydrated (surely there are different levels) their skin will contain less water. However I think ryan is saying that you can be completely hydrated and still have dry skin.

[nitsuj]

It is logical that if a person is dehydrated (surely there are different levels) their skin will contain less water. However I think ryan is saying that you can be completely hydrated and still have dry skin.

I absoulutely agree that being dehydrated will result in less water pretty equally throughout the body including the skin.

I disagree that this kills skin cells. Or said differently drinking more water reduces dry* skin.

*the flakey white stuff

[Ryan_m_b]

It is logical that if a person is dehydrated (surely there are different levels) their skin will contain less water. However I think ryan is saying that you can be completely hydrated and still have dry skin.

I absoulutely agree that being dehydrated will result in less water pretty equally throughout the body including the skin.

I disagree that this kills skin cells. Or said differently drinking more water reduces dry* skin.

*the flakey white stuff

You got it Greg, dry skin is a common symptom of dehydration. However if you are perfectly hydrated drinking extra water doesn't seem to do anything for dry skin.

[nitsuj]

...dry skin is a common symptom of dehydration.

So your saying being dehydrated increases dry* skin?

* the white flakey dead skin

[Ryan_m_b]

So your saying being dehydrated increases dry* skin?

* the white flakey dead skin

Yes however I'd qualify that by saying that IIRC the very mild dehydration that most people experience every now and then isn't enough to be the primary cause of dry skin.

By dry skin I mean xeroderma, not something like eczema.