Water plays the crucial role in our lives. It keeps us healthy and beautiful. Staying hydrated isn’t only good for our health, but the skin as well. Moreover, water is essential for our beauty routine. For example, we start our day by washing our faces and applying moisturizing cream and we finish our day with doing the same thing before bedtime. However, sometimes water can cause some problems and you might not even be aware of them. Fortunately, this article will help you pay attention to potential skin problems that could occur in order to tackle this issue as soon as you notice them. Let’s start.
Note: If you are dealing with some skin condition described below and products that are both prescribed by dermatologist or bought over the counter don’t work, and if you have a healthy lifestyle then the problem might be in water.
Tip: Examine your face thoroughly at least once a week in order to see whether you notice some changes or not. The sooner you notice changes in your skin, the easier it will be to tackle the issue.
Hard water linked to eczema
Scientists have debated the idea of association between hard water and eczema, but that notion was finally confirmed by the study published in the British journal Lancet. Nick McNally, Dr. Hywel Williams from the Queen’s Medical Center at the Nottingham’s University Hospital and their team conducted a study that included more than 4000 children. The study involved giving questionnaires on eczema to parents and the results showed that there was a higher prevalence of eczema in areas with hard water. The importance of this study can be found in the fact that it shows how quality of water can have a significant impact on our and our children’s skin.
Hard water and dermatitis
Dermatitis is a term that describes inflammation of the skin. If you’re already suffering from contact dermatitis then hard water might aggravate your condition. Contact dermatitis is defined as a rash that occurs on the bad when it’s in contact with various substances which irritate the skin. You should bear in mind that hard water doesn’t cause dermatitis, instead it irritates your skin and initiates flare-up.
Dryness and sensitivity and much more
The build-up of various minerals in the water makes it difficult to dissolve other substances, for example, soaps. Therefore, instead of purifying our skin, it creates a soapy layer on our face or the rest of the body. In turn, our pores are clogged and skin becomes irritated, itchy, scaly, dry and sensitive.
Dr. Dennis Gross, Manhattan dermatologists reveals that impurities from water make it difficult for soap or even shampoo to wash off, leading to dryness and sensitivity. In some cases, skin develops redness and rosacea. Additionally, these impurities also impair skin’s natural oils and change their consistency from oil to wax. Newly-formed wax clogs pores which leads to acne breakout. Even more staggering is the fact that about 85% of all water in the United States is hard.
Dealing with sensitive skin
According to Dr. Gross, it is just a matter of time other dermatologists start considering all effects of water on our skin. Considering the fact that most waters in the country are branded as “hard water” it means that same water isn’t able to dissolve our soaps or shampoos on daily basis. Further, our skin becomes sensitive and more prone to various conditions like dermatitis, eczema, acne, rosacea and so on. Do you have to soften the water? Dr. Gross suggests it’s not necessary. At same point of our lives we all develop sensitive skin due to number of different factors. Skin care for sensitive skin includes gentle cleansers, instead of harsh ones and a quality moisturizer. With the regular usage, most people easily tolerate any type of water then.
Now, all you have to do is to find ideal product for your skin and eventually save a lot of money you’d spend on water filters etc. Dermaxsol for sensitive skin is a moisturizer that also contains SPF effect. The product’s formula is gentle; it nourishes the skin while also providing protection from the sun. This means that you will be able to protect your skin from the most important environmental factors that could potentially cause damage. Here are some benefits of Dermaxsol:
- Ideal for all skin types
- Fast-absorbing
- Doesn’t leave oily residue
- Provides a protective barrier which prevents sun damage
- Provides moisture to the skin
- Skin becomes smooth and nourished
- Reduces appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
- Evens out skin texture and restores healthy glow
- Doesn’t contain alcohol, which means this product doesn’t dry out your already sensitive skin.
All you have to do is to apply the product directly to your face as part of your morning beauty routine. Allow it a few seconds to dry before you apply makeup.
What is hard water?
Hard water is considered as highly alkaline (high pH value) water which contains minerals like calcium, magnesium, iron. Also, hard water often contains chloride and in some cases heavy metals as well. 0 pH value indicates that water is acidic, 7pH is the ideal pH of water, while hard water is characterized by 8.5pH. It is important to mention that pH of human body is 7.3.
Is Water Damaging Your Skin? https://t.co/KlyR8E43G2 #SkinCare #SkinProblems #FaceWash #HardWater pic.twitter.com/6QneMW7jzr
— Zigverve.com (@zigverve) January 2, 2016
Conclusion
The truth is, most waters in the United States are defined as hard waters. Due to the high levels of minerals, chloride, and sometimes heavy metals, hard water doesn’t dissolve soap (or even shampoo) which can often lead to skin sensitivity which makes it more prone to various conditions e.g. acne, rosacea, eczema, dermatitis. It is recommended to use gentle cleansers instead of harsh ones (because they aggravate dryness) and to make sure you include moisturizer (both for face and body) as inevitable parts of your beauty routine.
