Discover the pinch test to assess skin hydration. Learn its significance & how to maintain well-hydrated skin for a healthy and glowing complexion. Learn more.

Hydrated Skin and the Pinch Test: How it Works | Healthwords

Hydration in its simplest form is to supply and retain water in the body's tissues. Take in too little water and you risk dehydration, making it hard for the body to carry out essential functions. And with loss of water, you lose essential salts and minerals, causing further turmoil in your body. 

We’ve all experienced mild dehydration at times, like when the weather is hot, or we are doing a sweaty workout. Fighting a fever or a stomach bug also leaves you lacking hydration. 

But you might have overlooked the toll a flight can take on your body. An airline cabin draws air in from the upper atmosphere for us to breathe in, and this is very dry. The air cabin can be less humid than the Sahara desert, and you actually lose water through your breath. Telling signs can be a dry feeling in your nose and throat, your contact lenses feeling scratchy, and you might be passing urine less, or it’s dark and strong-smelling. 

You might feel thirsty, but this is actually a late sign, as when thirst sets in, your body is already 2% dehydrated. You need to work hard to replace this. Your body will work best if you can plan ahead to avoid dehydration, rather than playing catch-up. 

If you’re travelling with little ones, they have a higher body surface area and breathe a bit faster, so they can become dehydrated even more quickly, and salt imbalance follows. It can be tempting to let them snooze through the flight (and give you some peace), but feeling tired and sleepy can also be a sign of dehydration, so make sure they have fuelled up before nodding off. 

How many glasses of water should you drink each day?

Dr Kandi discusses recommendations of fluid consumption, and the different factors that can affect your requirements.

Hydration recommendations

Oral rehydration therapy (also known as oral rehydration salts, or solution) is used to prevent and treat dehydration. Around the world, it is used to prevent serious illness and death from diarrhoea. It has been reported to reduce the risk of death by more than 90%. It is considered so important that it is a part of the World Health Organisation's list of essential medicines.

The Science Behind O.R.S Hydration!

Ensuring adequate hydration to ensure our bodies remain healthy can be a tough ask, especially in hot conditions, and during strenuous activities or exercise. Hot temperatures and increased water and salt losses can lead to dehydration. Mild dehydration may be felt as thirst, headache, mild dizziness, reduced need to urinate and dry skin. In its more severe form, dehydration can result in reduced alertness, fatigue, muscle cramps, loss of consciousness and long term damage to your kidneys.

All runners know that great hydration matters. When on a run, hydration helps because it slows the rate at which fatigue sets in. From how limber we feel, to how quickly we tire, hydration can be the difference between a sluggish run or a new personal best. Let’s take a look at how it works.

During pregnancy, it’s perfectly normal to experience some swelling in your lower legs and possibly fingers. It gets worse as the day goes on, and usually the further along in pregnancy you are. Gradual swelling as you approach your due date is not associated with any harm to your or your baby, but it can feel quite uncomfortable. 

If you have sudden swelling, this may be a sign of something more serious, so it’s best to get this checked out by one of your maternity team. 

Oral rehydration solutions are a balanced formulation of electrolytes and minerals such as sodium, potassium, magnesium phosphorus, chloride, and a small proportion of glucose. They can be added to water to make a solution that’s readily absorbed by the body.

Under its fancy Greek title of xeros (dry) and derma (skin), dry skin can be intensely itchy. It feels rough and flakes easily. Cracks and redness can form in more severe cases.

It affects both sexes and is more common in Caucasian skin than those whose skin has a higher oil content, such as Afro-Caribbean or Mediterranean skin types.

Children can be particularly at risk, and this may take the form of eczema - where inflammation of the uppermost layer of skin causes dryness, and this is most likely to appear on the insides of elbows or the backs of knees. Eczema may run in families or go alongside asthma or hay fever.

Dry skin is a variant of normal skin and is not contagious.

Diarrhoea and vomiting – how to get through it

Diarrhoea and vomiting is something most of us have suffered at some point in our lives. For many, it is a horrible week’s worth of symptoms, and then things begin to feel better. Here I wanted to share with you some of the common questions I get asked by my patients as a doctor, and how I got through my most recent bout of D + V thanks to some questionable re-heated chicken (the fault was all mine).

Is your lifestyle stressing your skin out?

We have all had that important date in the diary coming up, and a day or so before, what happens – our skin breaks out. There are many different things in our day to day life that can affect how our skin is reacting. Some in the short term, and others over the long term. Here the Healthwords medical team takes a look at some of these lifestyle factors in detail that can contribute to changes with your skin.  

Dr Roger Henderson

Chief Content Officer

Dr Kandi explains the pinch test, and how it can help you detect whether you're adequately hydrated.

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Hydrated skin and the pinch test

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