# Does Drinking Water Really Prevent Zits? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 2, 2003, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-drinking-water-really-prevent-zits/185746 "2003-07-02T10:38:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![teleute12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@teleute12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teleute12)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-drinking-water-really-prevent-zits/185746/1 "2003-07-02T10:38:22Z")
I heard from my mother that apparently, drinking water will keep your face from breaking out. Well, I’ve been drinking a ton of water lately (I’d say 5-6 17oz-sized bottles/day), and my face is clogged pore city. I’m not PMSing, I wash my face twice a day with Neutrogina face soap and then put on lotion with zit medicine (0.5%), I’m not under a whole lot of stress, my pillowcases are clean - yet the more water I drink, the more my face breaks out, it seems. Even more frusterating, I seem to be getting pimples and such in my hair - not many, just enough to be irritating. I guess my GQ is: does drinking water keep one from getting acne? How much water does a person need to drink to get this effect? Does drinking too much water actually cause acne? ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-drinking-water-really-prevent-zits/185746/2 "2003-07-02T10:40:54Z")
I don’t know about acne, but according to some doctor interviewed in a Swedish newspaper the other week drinking too much water is likely to cause incontinence. ---
**Author:** ![alimarx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@alimarx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alimarx)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-drinking-water-really-prevent-zits/185746/3 "2003-07-02T16:09:56Z")
Having had acne for a good 18 years now, I’ve found that my water consumption has no effect on it. I often get quite enough water, sometimes not; there’s been no difference. I have found, for me though, that my consumption of _fats_ does have an effect. I believe it’s different for everyone though. I’ve had friends that broke out more often when they ate dairy. YMWV. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by teleute12 \* > **Even more frusterating, I seem to be getting pimples and such in my hair - not many, just enough to be irritating.** I assume you mean your scalp. I get that often. As a guy, it irritates me, for I can’t afford to lose any more hair follicles 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Satisfying\_Andy\_Licious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Satisfying\_Andy\_Licious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satisfying_Andy_Licious)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-drinking-water-really-prevent-zits/185746/4 "2003-07-02T17:39:38Z")
A while back I read a study reviving the idea that diet is a major factor in acne. Sorry, I can’t remember the source – maybe someone here can. The gist was that the Western diet of processed foods probably does have a lot to do with acne. In regions where people live by subsistence farming or fishing, acne is unheard of. Drinking lots of water can’t hurt – especially if you do it in place of sugary cola drinks – but it’s still not going to get rid of the junk in our diets. ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-drinking-water-really-prevent-zits/185746/5 "2003-07-02T18:56:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by teleute12 \* > **I wash my face twice a day with Neutrogina face soap and then put on lotion with zit medicine (0.5%), …** You might be overdrying your skin…when that happens it produces more oil to compensate. You might try washing once in the morning, then using a cleansing cloth or something in the evening and skipping the zit medicine. (I use soap in the AM and astringent on a cotton ball before bed.) Another possibility: are you using any sort of sponge to scrub with, such as a Buf-Buff or loofah? Chances are it’s riddled with bacteria which is not helping. How often do you touch your face a day, or at night? I sometimes tend to get acne along my chin because a) I lean on my left hand when I surf the web, and b) a lot of times when I sleep I put my head on my hand/hands to add a little height or different angle to the pillow. I took to washing my hands more during the day and sleeping with cotton gloves on at night until I taught myself to put my hands UNDER the pillow when I wanted to sleep in that position. Since you’re also getting scalp acne I’m going to go with a greasy diet here. Water isn’t going to hurt anything but I don’t think it’ll help in your case. You might want to keep a food diary for a while and at the same time keep track of your breakouts. Cut back on the fried & fast foods and see if there’s any change. ---
**Author:** ![Ether\_Dragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d9b06d/32.png) [@Ether\_Dragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ether_Dragon)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-drinking-water-really-prevent-zits/185746/6 "2003-07-02T19:22:51Z")
I looked to Web MD for answers. Water consumption wasn’t listed among their treatments. They do offer some good stuff though, .[check it out](http://my.webmd.com/content/article/5/1680_50116.htm?lastselectedguid=%7B5FE84E90-BC77-4056-A91C-9531713CA348%7D) ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-drinking-water-really-prevent-zits/185746/7 "2003-07-02T19:42:18Z")
> [@](#): > > does drinking water keep one from getting acne? No cite, but I strongly doubt it. I’d say the best use for water in preventing acne is to wash your face with it. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![AwSnappity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a3d4f5/32.png) [@AwSnappity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AwSnappity)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-drinking-water-really-prevent-zits/185746/8 "2003-07-02T19:54:52Z")
IANAD. I believe Neutrogena uses salicylic acid in their products. You might have a slight allergy to salicylic acid, which wouldn’t help you any. Try switching to something with benzoyl peroxide, if you’re not using that already. With benzoyl peroxide, 2% is about as effective as 10%, so don’t spend the extra money on a 10% medication. You might also visit a dermatologist. ---
**Author:** ![Lady\_Venom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9fc348/32.png) [@Lady\_Venom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lady_Venom)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-drinking-water-really-prevent-zits/185746/9 "2003-07-02T20:04:40Z")
I’ve never had a pimple problem, so my only suggestion is this… Is it hot and humid where you live? Do you have lots of hair? That could have something to do with the pimples in your hair. ---
**Author:** ![teleute12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@teleute12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teleute12)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2003, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-drinking-water-really-prevent-zits/185746/10 "2003-07-02T23:29:15Z")
Sorry to have abandoned this - I couldn’t stay connected to the 'net, and then the board wouldn’t let me in. I don’t eat that many greasy foods - I’m mostly vegetarian, actually (mostly in the sense that I’ll have beef maybe once a month or so). Maybe it’s the Cheez-Its? In which case, I will cut them out of my diet just as soon as I finish this box. (I swear, they’re loaded with crack or something.) I don’t think it’s dry skin, since this regime is a lot gentler than what I used to do (wipe my face down twice a day with an astingent containing 2% acne medicine, and putting more medicine on any spot I could see), and I wasn’t getting zits then. It might be hand oils, but since the pimples are mostly in my hairline/on my forehead, I don’t think it is. Maybe it’s hair oils? Hmm. Don’t use anything other than my hands to wash my face. It’s not especially hot or humid here lately, and I don’t have that much hair. Thanks for the suggestions, folks. ---
**Author:** ![Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harriet_the_Spry)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-drinking-water-really-prevent-zits/185746/11 "2003-07-03T00:29:12Z")
From my personal experience, drinkng water is not a big factor. You didn’t ask, but what the heck, I’ll share some things that seem to have helped. One is making sure to wash my hair every day, even if I don’t need to to keep my hair looking good. My hair is fine if I skip a day, but my skin definitely breaks out more. I agree that touching your face aggravates it, so if you have anything like allergies that make you rub your nose, or contacts that irritate your eyes, take care of that so you can keep your hands away from your face. Holding the phone against your face for long periods of time is also bad. Finally, after trying tons of products, I am having great luck with an extremely expensive line of cleansers called Biomedic. ---
**Author:** ![plain\_jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@plain\_jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plain_jane)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-drinking-water-really-prevent-zits/185746/12 "2003-07-03T01:51:01Z")
I can’t help for blackheads (they are a curse I have, as well) I find Spectro-Jel (facial cleanser) works well for acne. If I have a white-head brewing, I wash the spot a number of times in a day and it kills it off almost immediately! Great stuff. If you’re acne is in your hairline, ensure you wash away all traces of shampoo and conditioner in the shower. Wash your hair regularly (so it’s clean, not til it’s too dry and then reacts by creating more oil!), limit how often you brush your hair, and pat your forehead and hairline down with a wet cloth a few times a day (just water). Try wearing your hair back if possible. As far as diet goes, I notice when I’m sick and off solids for a couple of days (consuming mostly water and soup), I have a bad breakout, and then my skin looks wonderful. I think diet plays a major role in acne. I think fatty foods and junky foods do the worst damage, and I also suspect dairy has an impact on one’s skin. When I cut out all the crap from my diet and drink more water, my skin does improve. ---
**Author:** ![Satisfying\_Andy\_Licious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Satisfying\_Andy\_Licious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satisfying_Andy_Licious)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-drinking-water-really-prevent-zits/185746/13 "2003-07-03T07:42:36Z")
[Here’s the study](http://my.webmd.com/content/article/57/66010.htm) I mentioned earlier: > [@](#): > > The theory, reported in the December issue of Archives of Dermatology: Most staples in the American diet are high-glycemic foods – those that tend to spike blood sugar levels and have already been implicated in increasing risk of diabetes, obesity, cholesterol, and other health conditions. > > But they also cause acne, says Loren Cordain, PhD, a Colorado State University health and exercise scientist and lead researcher of the study. … His international team of researchers studied 1,200 people (including 300 teens) in New Guinea and 115 (with 15 teens) in remote Paraguay and couldn’t detect a single zit in two years of study. These people only eat what they hunt, gather, or grow themselves – fruit, vegetables, seafood, and lean meats – and no refined foods. … . “We found that when they become more westernized and start eating like Americans, they do develop acne,” he notes. “So it’s not genetics.” But the jury is still out, because diet is, obviously, not the only lifestyle difference between remote societies and modern cultures. Your Cheez-Its would be the typical processed food, so if the study is correct, that would be a factor. ---
**Author:** ![35340](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/8baadc/32.png) [@35340](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/35340)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-drinking-water-really-prevent-zits/185746/14 "2003-07-03T12:27:47Z")
Part of it also might be a hormonal imbalance. My zits were terrible for a couple of decades until I was diagnosed with PCOS (HAIRPN variety). Hormonal imbalance that screws up my cycle, too. I started progesterone to ‘straighten’ out my cycle and it helped the zits a bit, and getting knocked up has completely knocked them out. For a while, a mild birth control pill helped for a while, too. About the glycemic index: That could be a strong factor. I’m insulin resistant (the IR in HARIPN), too, and cutting back the carbs was a help in both losing weight (I also went on Weight Watchers) and in clearing up the zits. ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-drinking-water-really-prevent-zits/185746/15 "2003-07-03T17:30:43Z")
I’ll chime in again because I just remembered that when my brother was younger he went to a dermatologist for his acne. In addition to prescribing him acne washes, he told him to shampoo with Neutrogena (the clear kind) and avoid salt like the plague. That was pretty tough for him because everywhere we went he had to ask for stuff to be prepared without salt, and had to find no- or low-salt versions of everything else, like canned soup, etc. Something else you might try, if you’re prone to eating a salty diet. ---
**Author:** ![kris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@kris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kris)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-drinking-water-really-prevent-zits/185746/16 "2003-07-03T21:40:16Z")
Interesting articles from BBC news. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2542801.stm](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2542801.stm) It might be an idea to see if this will work. Couldn’t hurt. ---
**Author:** ![j.c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/73ab20/32.png) [@j.c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j.c)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-drinking-water-really-prevent-zits/185746/17 "2003-07-03T21:49:01Z")
Hey - this is not what I’d call a good cite. **Loren Cordain, PhD, a Colorado State University health and exercise** His education: 1972, B.S., Health Sciences, Pacific University, Forest Grove, OR 1978, M.S., Exercise Physiology, University of Nevada-Reno, Reno, NV 1981, Ph.D., Exercise Physiology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT Which means he has almost the same background as my personal trainer! One of his areas of interest is the study of the relationship between paleo-diets and modern health. Because we know almost nothing about paleo diets, this is not a fruitful area of study. Finally, hasn’t the myth that diet and acne are related been repeatedly debunked on the SDMB? **teleute12** Drinking enough water is important for health, and health is important for good skin (although, depending on your genes, good skin may not be great for you), so, in that sense, drinking water will help. But so will getting enough sleep and some exercise. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2003, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-drinking-water-really-prevent-zits/185746/18 "2003-07-03T22:09:07Z")
> [@](#): > > Finally, hasn’t the myth that diet and acne are related been repeatedly debunked on the SDMB? I thought it had been pretty well disproven scientifically. ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2003, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-drinking-water-really-prevent-zits/185746/19 "2003-07-04T01:05:47Z")
No, the old saw that chocolate specifically caused acne was found not to be the case, but what you eat most definitely has an effect on your skin. Eat a bucket of fried chicken every day for a week and come back and tell me you don’t notice a difference in your skin. ---
**Author:** ![Satisfying\_Andy\_Licious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Satisfying\_Andy\_Licious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satisfying_Andy_Licious)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2003, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-drinking-water-really-prevent-zits/185746/20 "2003-07-04T03:44:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by voguevixen \* > \*\*No, the old saw that chocolate specifically caused acne was found not to be the case, but what you eat most definitely has an effect on your skin. Eat a bucket of fried chicken every day for a week and come back and tell me you don’t notice a difference in your skin. \*\* Interestingly enough, they might have jumped the gun on declaring chocolate was not a factor. The author of the original study this claim is based on has since admitted his [study was flawed.](http://www.tagnet.org/abstracts/v15n1.htm) > [@](#): > > The impact of diet on acne has been a topic of great debate, with many arguing that foods such as chocolate do not have an effect on acne. The original study suggesting that chocolate does not cause acne was done using a synthetic chocolate as a placebo. Both groups were actually receiving chocolate! And another [source:](http://www.tnonline.com/archives/sports/2003/04.05/fitness.html) > [@](#): > > In 1970, however, a scientist named Gerd Plewig decided to study the connection. He fed one group of subjects chocolate and another a placebo. After months of study, Plewig discovered just as many cases of acne among the placebo eaters. > > He published his findings and declared that the connection between diet and acne was a myth. The medical community, including dermatologists, believed him. His research grew into gospel. > > But today Plewig admits that the real myth was his research, that the whole world lived under a false assumption for 32 years. How could this happen? > > Other research developed the glycemic index, the measure of just how quickly foods break down into sugar in the body. > > It turns out the placebo Plewig used had the same amount of sugar as the chocolate. No wonder the placebo group possessed just as many pimples at the end of the study. To this day, if you search the web you will find _plenty_ of sites declaring that chocolate is not a culprit in acne – and a good many of them are sponsored by candy manufacturers with an obvious commercial interest in seeing chocolate exonerated. It might turn out that chocolate is a factor – or not – but for now, the study cited as gospel proving it is not a factor has been disowned by its own author. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-drinking-water-really-prevent-zits/185746.md?page=2)