I Drank 2.7L of Water Every Day for 6 Weeks and My Skin Looked Worse

I believe I live in a constant state of dehydration, and no matter how much hyaluronic acid I slap on my face, there is no substitute for pure H2O.

Like many of us, I can go a worryingly long time without needing to hydrate, and will happily get most of my water intake from tea and coffee throughout the day. The only time I really remember to drink (probably not) enough water is when I’m exercising. Any other time, I am woefully depleted.

The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine set general recommendations for water intake based on detailed national data which found that women who appeared adequately hydrated consumed an average of 2.7 liters each day (91 ounces) of total water, from all beverages and foods, while the average amount was 3.7 liters for men (125 ounces).

“About 80 percent of people’s total water comes from drinking water and beverages, including caffeinated beverages, and the other 20 percent is derived from food,” they added.

Anyone else relieved that coffee counts?

Water is an essential ingredient for the healthy function of every organ in the body, including the appearance of our skin, and even mild dehydration can affect our mood and make it hard to concentrate on tasks throughout the day.

So, with my previous failures at the forefront of my mind, and in the name of skin elasticity and journalism, I decided to accept the challenge to drink 2.7 liters, or 91 fluid ounces, of water a day for six weeks, and document the whole experience.

Up Close and Personal

I can explain how this experiment made me feel, but to see if it would have any effect on the appearance of my skin, I headed to Harley Street Skin Clinic for a worryingly up-close 3D face scan using the Visia Analysis System.

Despite a rigorous skincare regime, I don’t drink enough water and try to spend as much of my time as possible outside all year, often forgetting to apply or top up sunscreen, so I wasn’t too optimistic about the results.

The results showed that I had some sun damage on my face, which was to be expected due to the lack of sunscreen, and some wrinkles around my eye area. The 3D scan also showed that my skin texture was OK, and I had some pore enlargement around my nose and T section.

The before scan decided that my skin age was 29, three years younger than my actual age. I’ll take that.

Although the words “dry” and “dehydrated” are often used interchangeably, they mean different things, according to Kiehl’s skincare.

“Dry skin is a skin type characterized by a chronic underproduction of sebum, or oil,” they say on their website, “It’s usually persistent and may be accompanied by uncomfortable symptoms like itching or tightness.

“Dehydrated skin, meanwhile, refers to the amount of water in the skin. Healthy skin contains around 30% water, which is essential for maintaining the skin’s structure, strength, and resiliency. When the skin loses too much water, it becomes dehydrated.”

The symptoms of both are often similar, but dehydrated skin can sometimes appear rough and “one of the most obvious signs of dehydration is a lack of elasticity in the skin: You’ll notice more prominent fine lines and wrinkles, and skin may appear dull or begin to sag,” Kiehl’s says.

Beauty tycoon Charlotte Tilbury creates a range of products to expertly reduce the look of wrinkles, explaining, “Dehydration lines are faint, surface-level lines that can appear on your skin when it is lacking moisture.

“Commonly found around the eyes and on the lips and forehead, dehydration lines are your skin’s response to insufficient water intake. These lines appear on dehydrated skin and are temporary in nature, often disappearing when skin is rehydrated.”

“Ageing signs can often be confused with dehydration,” agree skincare specialists La Roche Posay.

With this in mind, I decided to see if drinking more water could make a difference to any wrinkles caused by dehydration.

Quite apart from what my lack of hydration was doing to my face, it’s possibly been responsible for various afternoon slumps, and moments of just generally feeling a bit off, which I’ve always managed to explain away, and not drink more water.

“Even mild dehydration, as little as two percent fluid loss, can affect memory, mood, concentration, and reaction time,” the National Council on Aging says. “Adding just a few glasses of water to your daily intake can have a positive effect on cognition, stabilize your emotions, and even combat feelings of anxiety.”

The Process

One of the reasons I struggle to drink enough water is a strange psychological aversion to drinking out of a glass. A glass of water will sit on my desk maybe all day without me giving it a second look, partly because I will forget it’s there, and party because I know when I finish it I’ll have to stop what I’m doing and go and get another one.

During this experiment I found the largest water bottle I could carry, in this case it was Nalgene 32-ounce bottle that retails for $16.99 on their website. I also got a metal straw, which I found really helped me drink more water more often. I drank only tap water, and my water bottle came with me everywhere. I will also point out that although I increased my water intake, I didn’t cut anything out, and still enjoyed coffee and the occasional drink.

Week One

It may sound pathetic, but the first few days were thrilling. Not drinking enough water is something that has played on my mind for many years, and I worry about the affect it’s had on my body.

I felt like I was being proactive and making a positive change despite simply upping my intake of a liquid we would all literally die without.

Week Three

By the third week I had just about got the hang of remembering to drink water. I found setting alarms on my phone at various intervals throughout the day helped me pace myself and ensure I didn’t need to neck a load in one go because I’d forgotten earlier.

Despite this, I have to admit I did get a bit bored of water by this point. I started jazzing up the water slightly by adding fresh lime or lemon, maybe a bit of mint, just to make it more interesting.

Another thing I noticed was that by the third week, I actually found myself getting thirsty and wanting water as my body began functioning under the new amount.

Week Six

I can’t say that after the six weeks I noticed a huge difference in my skin, but there were significant changes in the way I felt.

I sometimes have trouble staying asleep and wake up feeling a bit groggy as a result. I timed my water intake so I mostly had about 17 fluid ounces before I went to bed, and I did find that I woke up less frequently, and felt fresher in the morning.

I also occasionally suffer from dry eyes, where they get quite irritated and itchy. I usually take very little notice, but the symptoms did appear to get better with increased hydration.

The Results

After the six weeks, I went back to the Harley Skin Clinic for another scan, to see the how the experiment had improved my skin, excited to see the results of my hard work.

Imagine my surprise, however, when I was told that my skin got worse.

I let out a wry laugh as Dr. Khan told me that despite a marginal improvement in the appearance of my wrinkles, the texture of my skin was “significantly worse,” my pores were “significantly larger,” and both brown pigmentation and inflammation were worse.

Whereas before the scan decided my skin age was 29, this time it decided I had the skin of a 36-year-old. I’d be lying if I said my ego wasn’t slightly bruised, but I have struggled with acne and dryness in the past, so I’m not going to take what a machine says about the way I look to heart.

I began to insist that I had in fact been drinking the water target and not cutting corners when Dr. Khan dropped the bombshell that I was probably experiencing “dilution shock.”

“So, overall, what we are seeing is the initial ‘dilution shock’ to your skin,” he told me. “This should start to improve over the next six weeks, as your body gets used to her higher water intake.

“Any significant shifts in the intake of water can change the dilution of electrolytes, hormones and other communicating peptides, resulting in a shock response, which kicks the body into changing its physiology. A healthy range of water consumption is 2 to 4 liters. Once you have decided what you can easily achieve, then stick to it to form a habit. Remember to increase your water and electrolyte intake during hot weather.”

Essentially, I accidentally flushed out a load of good stuff.

Despite the bad news, I was assured it was only temporary and I have since continued drinking more water because it can only be a good thing in the long run, and at time of writing I am happy to say my skin is back to normal.

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