Life on the blue planet is all about water. In fact, up to 60% the adult human body is composed of water.

It’s crucial to the function of every organ in your body, including your biggest organ — your skin, which is made of about 64% water.

So it seems like a logical line of reasoning to imagine that downing a few extra glasses of H2O a day could reduce fine lines and plump up sagging skin.

Sadly, the truth is hard to swallow: Drinking water can’t make you look younger.

“No matter how much water you drink, you can’t hydrate away wrinkles,” says Ana Gunn, registered nurse and Clinical Director at Mia La Maven, a premier wellness and aesthetic medical clinic in Los Angeles.

Board Certified Dermatologist Dr. Kimberly Jerdan agrees: “The theory that drinking water prevents wrinkles or signs of aging is false.”

What Actually Causes Wrinkles… and Why Drinking More Water Doesn’t Help

“Aging is definitely multifactorial,” says Dr. Jerdan. Internal factors like stress and genetics and external factors like diet, UV rays, and environmental exposure determine the visible signs of aging.

If you make a face, as your mother would say, it might just stay that way.

“More dynamic faces,” notes Dr. Jerdan, “or faces with lots of muscle movement and strong facial expressions can create lines that stay furrowed on the face.”

“Starting at age 30, we lose 1% of collagen in the skin per year,” she says. As we get older, the bone around our eyes and jawline lose density, causing the fat pads in the face to sink in.

The environmental exposures to our face loosens the skin barrier, making it more difficult to keep skin hydrated.

All of these factors combined, agrees Gunn, can leave the skin looking dull and aged.

But unless you’re severely dehydrated, “the water you drink has little to no affect on skin hydration,” says Jerdan.

What Drinking Water Can Do for You

Even though guzzling gallons won’t fill in fine lines, water is necessary for good skin and good health.

Consuming the recommended 2.7 liters per day for women and 3.7 liters a day for men helps keep your joints, spinal cord, and other tissues in working condition and helps transport waste out of the body, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Plain and simple, says Gunn, “Drinking water makes you feel better.” When you feel better, you look better.

If you’re feeling tired, Gunn recommends drinking water to combat the visible signs of fatigue.

Proper hydration also helps with overall blood circulation.

One study from 2007 found that supplemental hydration may increase skin blood flow, which, according to Gunn, is “essential to bright and vibrant skin.”

Keep Your Skin Hydrated

Dr. Jerdan says the key to healthy looking skin is keeping the skin barrier intact and hydrated with external moisturizers. “External hydration can help minimize signs of aging more so than internal intake of water,” she says.

Jerden also recommends protecting your skin from UV damage, environmental pollution, and oxidative stress that can weaken the skin barrier.

She also recommends applying a daily moisturizer.

Choose a humectant-based moisturizer to help draw water into the skin, or choose an occlusive-based moisturizer to prevent hydration from leaving the skin.

“Even vitamin C serums can help portray brighter and more vibrant skin,” she says.

Cover Up for Younger Looking Skin

“Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen,” recommends Gunn. Nothing helps reduce the visible signs of aging like studious sunscreen application.

One 2013 study in Australia found that subjects who used sunscreen daily showed no signs of aging after 4.5 years.

Since about 80% of facial aging is due to UV radiation, you’ll want to lather up to keep that baby face.

Eat Your Way to Healthier Skin

Dr. Jerdan suggests a well-balanced diet of lean protein and healthy fats with limited intake of caffeine and sugary drinks.

A healthy diet, sun protection, using moisturizers, avoiding smoking and tobacco, and, of course, proper hydration are the most effective tools to keep the visible signs of aging at bay.

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The term “lovingkindness” has long been a staple within the spiritual community, with experts like Jack Kornfield basing their life’s work on teaching it’s power to the masses. Especially in the last decade, the concept of mindfulness as a whole has surged in popularity; even our youngest generations are learning emotional intelligence & self-acceptance at a speed unlike ever before.

After I was taught the concept of lovingkindness – which, in a nutshell, means to allow things to be as they are and accept them as they come – I was fascinated by it’s simple yet powerful message. As I sunk deeper into its teachings and started applying it to my own life, I began to wonder: can you really cultivate a better relationship with the world around you just by changing your perspective?

As someone who has dealt with everything from cystic acne to severe eczema, I’ve had my fair share of low self-esteem moments. By applying the teachings of mindfulness and lovingkindness to all facets of my life, though, I’ve been able to bring back a new, improved type of healing that I, truthfully, never knew I needed – even when it comes to my skincare ritual.

Looking for ways to improve your relationship with your skin? Tired of feeling frustrated and defeated when you look in the mirror, despite how many expensive oils and treatments you lather on? It might be time to cultivate a healthier relationship with your skin and start accepting what you can’t control (aka, everything). Here’s a few quick ways to apply the concepts of mindfulness and lovingkindness to your ritual and start loving yourself 100%.

Speak Kind Words 

The way we speak to ourselves really does make a difference in our overall wellbeing. After all, if you’re spending all your time hating your skin and critiquing every “flaw”, you probably aren’t going to feel very good about it, are you? Instead, here’s permission to give yourself a break in the form of a compliment.

It sounds silly, but there’s a reason the word kind appears so much in the practice of mindfulness & lovingkindness. We often extend the most grace to others, but when it comes to ourselves, we tend to fall short. We’re even less likely to do so if there’s something that we don’t like about ourselves, such as our skin.

The next time you see something you don’t like, refrain from being critical of it right away. Instead, find something kind to say to yourself in that moment. Although it seems small, even one moment of kindness towards yourself can plant the seed of self-love, which only blooms the more you do it. Give it a go for a week and see how you feel after.

Slow Yourself Down 

It’s easy to blow through your day without paying much attention to the little things that happen, especially when you’re juggling multiple important tasks at once. But part of mindfulness is about slowing life down and being intentional with each action you take, so why not take advantage of this concept in your skincare ritual?

Even if you can’t slow down the majority of your life, you can carve out a few extra minutes to give your skin the attention it’s craving from you, especially if it’s irritated or inflamed. Even if your skin mood isn’t ideal, taking your time applying each cream and lotion is an act of self-love in itself. Appreciate the feeling of every product – what does it feel like to apply your moisturizer? How does your skin react to your nightly oil?

Bringing mindfulness to your ritual is a way to press pause on the hectic hamster wheel of life and gives you a chance to truly relish in the luxury of taking care of your body with intention. Most importantly, taking a break from the constant go-go-go of life is important to managing stress, a major contributing factor in angry skin moods.

Find Your Moment Of Zen 

Even if you slow your ritual down, you can still feel distracted or otherwise occupied while going through the motions – and that’s ok. Part of mindfulness is observing your thoughts and feelings as they occur, but not attaching yourself to or judging them.

If your skincare ritual feels too involved and you can’t relax while you do it, there’s other opportunities to practice lovingkindness and mindfulness that are beneficial. Love a good mask moment? Why not put one on for 15-20 minutes and sit with your thoughts while it works it’s magic?

If you’re familiar with the practice of meditation, you can use this time to do so – apps like Headspace make it easy to fit meditation into whatever pocket of time you have. If meditation isn’t your jam, though, no pressure –  you can simply sit in a quiet, calm place and observe your thoughts as they come. Be sure to notice your breath and be intentional with each inhale and exhale, as well.

Keep A Skin Journal 

Putting your thoughts on paper can provide a valuable perspective on your relationship with yourself, especially when it comes to your skin. Jotting down your thoughts can help cut through the static of everyday life and get you to the root of why you feel the way you do. It’s also a great way to log any changes to your complexion, which is a great way to ensure your ritual is still beneficial, or if it could use some tweaking to better serve you.

Try setting aside 5 minutes after you complete your skincare ritual to check in and write about your feelings towards skin. It doesn’t matter what you say or how you say it, so don’t get stuck in the minutiae – the important thing is to lay it all out and observe your thoughts afterward. What patterns do you notice? How do you feel after re-reading your own words?

Whether it’s adding extra “me” time or logging your perception, you may be surprised at what you notice when you’re intentional with your actions and incorporate the art of mindfulness into your skincare ritual.

*collaborative post

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6 nutrients in seafood that make it a superfood for your skin:

1) High quality protein

Seafood is an excellent source of protein which is an essential nutrient for tissue growth, development and rejuvenation. The body takes the protein you consume and breaks it down into amino acids, which are reused to form collagen and keratin, which are the structural components of the skin. Protein intake is also important to help the body get rid of old, damaged skin cells and create new ones. 

2) Omega 3 fatty acids 

Before we dive deep into chatting about how omega-3s are great for skin, it’s important to note that not all omega 3-s are the same! There are actually three main types. All omega-3s are polyunsaturated fats, but they can be further classified into: 

EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), which both come from fatty fish. EPA and DHA are called essential fatty acids because the body can’t produce them on it’s own, which is why we need to obtain adequate amounts from marine sources (like seafood). 

ALA (alpha-linolenic acid) are the omega-3s found in plant foods (vegetable oils, walnuts, flaxseed, hemp seeds, soybeans). Unfortunately, ALA omega-3s are not the active form of the fatty acid and therefore can’t be used by the body in the same way as EPA or DHA. To reap the same health benefits, ALA has to be converted in EPA and DHA, but this conversion rate is relatively low. For example, this study found that only ∼2 to 10% of ALA is converted to EPA or DHA. 

So the general takeaway here is that seafood is really one of the FEW sources of EPA and DHA omega 3-s (the kind that are best used within the body!)

Now, the reason why omega-3s are important for your skin is because they help to decrease inflammation in the body, which helps your skin not look so red and puffy. The fish with the highest source of omega 3-s include trout, salmon, mackerel, herring, and sardines. 

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