All Tapped Out

Is Your Water Wreaking Havoc on Your Skin?

Over the past decade, tap water has come under fire for its questionable chemical content and consequent health concerns (much to the satisfaction of the bottled water industry). While additives such as fluoride—a compound found to prevent tooth decay—have been a mainstay of our water supply for years, the introduction of more sinister substances like iron and lead has raised concerns among environmental groups and skin health experts. The question, it seems, has shifted from “is our water accessible enough?” to “is our water safe enough?”

While many have taken the issue as an invitation to stock up on bottled drinking water and kitchen purifiers, scant attention is paid to uses other than consumption. Yet, the bulk of our usage—and our exposure to its detrimental elements—comes not from ingesting tap water, but from bathing in it. In fact, the average shower head installed after 1992 douses the body in two and a half gallons of water per minute, compared to the eight cups we’re recommended to drink daily.

What does this mean for your skin? According to Dana Perdue, national director of education for CosMedix, many of the unwanted additives can hold dire consequences for skin health. Heavy metals—poisonous metals with no biological role and trace elements in toxic doses—are of particular concern to Perdue.

“Elements like lead, zinc, iron and magnesium can spawn free radicals,” Perdue explains. “These substances breakdown collagen and elastin and contribute to a wealth of skin concerns.” Trace amounts of these and other contaminants can be found in municipal water systems around the world in varying concentrations. “Depending on where you live, your water could be putting your skin at a greater risk for free radical damage,” Perdue warns, adding that some of the largest cities in the United States are among the worst offenders.

Just how do heavy metals and other waterborne pollutants affect the skin? In addition to weakening collagen and elastin, the initial free radical threat creates a domino effect—known as a free radical cascade—that overwhelms the skin’s defenses, particularly its resistance to harmful UV rays. Increasingly vulnerable to external stressors, the skin starts to succumb to sun damage and premature wrinkling.

Other unfortunate side effects include irritation, redness and breakouts. Chlorine, which is regularly injected into water supplies to combat bacteria, destroys vitamin E and polyunsaturated fatty acids. The loss of these essential nutrients often exacerbates sensitive skin conditions like eczema and rosacea. Additionally, elevated levels of calcium and/or magnesium—a trademark of “hard water”—can actually harden the skin’s natural oils, creating waxy plugs that clog and stretch out pores, in turn sparking blackheads, whiteheads and enlarged pores.

Because the amount and type of contaminants is often too minute for physical detection, professional testing is the only true way to accurately identify the chemical content of one’s water. However, certain visual clues can hint at a larger problem, particularly if hard water is present.

Hard water is a term commonly given to water with a high mineral content. Marked by large amounts of calcium, magnesium and/or iron, hard water often manifests in excessive rusting, soap scum and lime buildup. Lathering and rinsing poorly, hard water can also leave soap residue that can irritate and dry out skin. While mineral conditions vary from source to source, the hardest waters in the United States can be found in the Southwest and Rocky Mountain regions.

Fortunately, unfriendly water doesn’t have to be your skin’s undoing. In addition to filtered showerheads that soften the spray, certain skin care products can help you combat an unforgiving tap. Cleansers and serums rich in antioxidants and vitamin E can help expel waterborne toxins from the skin and replenish its chlorine-depleted reserves for a truly radiant revival.

Combat Skin-Damaging Water

Benefit Clean
Combining zeolite—a unique, heavy metal-purging ingredient from volcanic silicate—with soothing shea butter, Benefit Clean gently removes waterborne and environmental pollutants to detoxify the skin and prevent future damage.

Affirm
Supercharged with over ten skin-specific antioxidants, including the powerful environmental detoxifier thioredoxin and restorative vitamin E, Affirm targets destructive free radicals, replenishes chlorine-stripped nutrients and helps reduce visible damage.

Pure C
Using 100 percent pure L-ascorbic acid—the only form of vitamin C readily absorbed by the skin—in its crystal form, Pure C mixes easily with most serums and cosmetic products for added, long-lasting defense against environmentally born free radicals.