The Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon sailed halfway across the world looking for the fountain of youth. He never found it. You or I, on the other hand, can make it appear instantly by turning on the kitchen tap.

Sound Eke magic? Not really. Today we know something that Ponce de Leon didn't: The power of that fountain lies in simple, fresh, clean water.

Your body needs water for all the basic processes of life, which include everything from transporting nutrients to regulating internal temperature. But drinking plenty of water at least eight 8 ounce glasses a day can give you benefits above and beyond the basics. It can also help you maintain healthy, youngerlooking skin and prevent certain diseases and conditions that can make you feel far older than your years.

Water Down Wrinkles

Nature makes the lesson obvious: Dry out a grape, you get a raisin. Dry out a plum, you get a prune. Wrinkles, wrinkles, wrinkles.

On the other hand, if you're ironing out the wrinkles from a cotton shirt, you moisten it with steam. And if you want to keep roses from wilting, you put them in a vase with water.

So it is with skin. If you want to keep it smooth, supple, and radiant, water is one of the secrets you're looking for. "Healthy skin is about 10 to 20 percent water," says Diana Bihova, M.D., a dermatologist in New York City and coauthor of Beauty from the Inside Out. If your skin loses more than half its moisture, it becomes dry and flaky. Even fine lines become more pronounced. Over time, dry skin can age more quickly.

One way to fight back is by using moisturizers. When you moisturize your skin, it plumps up and looks smoother, and fine lines seem to disappear.

The problem is that time makes the going tougher. Our skin gets drier as we get older. Around age 30, oil and sweat glands slow their production and skin is less able to retain moisture, says Dr. Bihova. And as we get closer to menopause and our estrogen levels drop, our skin may dry out even more. That's where water comes in. Drinking plenty of water is important. Whether you sip it or soak in it, water moisturizes your skin. But that's not all you need to do. "Drinking an ocean of water is not, by itself, going to repair your dry skin," says Dr. Bihova. And simply slathering on lotion won't end your dry skin dilemma either. Here, Dr. Bihova shares some secrets to getting the most from moisture.

Keep your cool. just as washing a sinkful of dishes in hot water leaves your hands dry and pruny by the last plate, bathing or showering in steamy hot water may send you hankering for hand and body lotion hours later. That's because hot water can dry out your skin. To save face, try soaking or showering in lukewarm water instead of hot.

Switch your soap. Washing with harsh soaps can leave your skin feeling like sandpaper so stick to gentle cleansers like Cetaphil. They cleanse your skin without irritation and leave behind a moisturizing film. Buy cleansers with ingredients such as water, glycerin, sodium lauryl sulfate, cetyl alcohol, and stearyl alcohol.

Time it right. The best time to moisturize is right after a shower or bath, when your skin is still wet and the moisture can be sealed in.

Water the air. Dry winter air wicks moisture away from your skin, leaving it dull and dry. But running a humidifier adds moisture to the air and prevents water loss through your pores.

Drink to Your Health

Water not only lubricates your skin, it keeps everything inside your body flowing smoothly as well. "Most people are minimally dehydrated, and that can impact practically everything a person does," says Felicia Busch, R.D., a nutritionist in St. Paul, Minnesota, and a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. You can lose 1 to 2 percent of your body weight in water without ever feeling thirsty. And once you have lost that much water, your body can't function at its best. You start to feel tired, unfocused, weaker, and slower. You may even get a headache all things that make you feel sluggish and older than you really are.

A well watered body has what it needs to stay young and healthy. Here are some ways you can use water to help you feel your best.

Keep your colon healthy. Drinking the standard eight glasses a day may lower your risk for colon cancer. Researchers have found that women who drink more than five glasses of water a day have about half the risk of colon cancer as those who drink two or fewer glasses.

Stay regular. Older people are five times more likely to be constipated than younger folks. And chronic constipation can lead to uncomfortable and painful conditions like hemorrhoids or diverticulitis.

To keep your bottom end feeling as young as a baby's bum, drink up. Having enough water in your pipes can help prevent and relieve constipation, especially if you eat a highfiber diet. That's because water softens your stools so that they can move more easily through your system.

Slim down. Drinking lots of water keeps you trim first, by helping you burn fat more efficiently. And second, if you drink it right before meals, it fills you up, so you eat less.

Beat bladder infections. Almost half of the 16,000 women surveyed by Prevention magazine and the American Medical Women's Association a few years ago had experienced a bladder infection and had tried drinking plenty of water to treat it. Eight out of 10 said it worked for them. Doctors say that all those fluids may help by flushing infection causing bacteria out of your system.

Stave off kidney stones. When you don't drink enough water, wastes that are normally dissolved and removed in your urine may become concentrated in crystals, which could lump together to form a kidney stone.

Prevent muscle soreness. When you're physically active whether you're doing work around the house, gardening, or playing tennis water can ward off the day after aches that make you feel all washed up. If you're slightly dehydrated, your body taps the water that's stored in your muscles. That can decrease your strength and increase your risk of micro scopic muscle damage, which shows up as soreness the next day, says Scott Hasson, Ed.D., chairperson of the department of physical therapy at the University of Connecticut in Storrs.

A good rule of thumb is to drink a glass of water before and after physical activity as well as a half cup every 15 to 20 minutes during the activity, he says.

A Female Disadvantage

Your body's about 50 percent water, so think of yourself as a glass that's half full. To keep that level from dropping, you have to drink at least eight 8 ounce glasses of water a day. Staying hydrated is especially important for women because their bodies store less water than men's, says Busch. That's because women have less muscle, which holds a lot of water, and more fat, which doesn't. As a result, a woman's well runs dry more quickly than a man , s, so you have to be more faithful about replenishing what you lose each day. Women who are pregnant or nursing need to drink even more water, Busch adds at least 10 to 12 glasses a day.

Still others need extra water to keep their skin supple and their bodies working at their best. Here's how to know if you are getting your fill.

Check the conditions. You need to drink more than the average eight glasses a day if you're sick, if you live in a hot climate, if you spend a lot of time inside heated or air conditioned buildings, if you do a lot of public speaking (Eke a teacher), or if you're larger than average, Busch says.

Drink before you're thirsty. You can't use thirst to determine when you need to fill up, because you can lose as much as 5 percent of your body's water supply before feeling thirsty, Busch says. To prevent this, try water breaks: when you first wake up, when you get to the office, at break times, before meals, and before bed. One glass of water at each of these times will keep you well hydrated on regular days.

As you get older, your sensitivity to thirst decreases, so it becomes even more important to drink throughout the day, whether you're thirsty or not, adds Joanne Curran Celentano, Ph.D., associate professor of nutritional sciences at the University of New Hampshire in Durham.

Clear things up. Check the color of your urine. "It should be almost clear, a pale yellow," says Lucia Kaiser, R.D., Ph.D., a nutrition specialist at the University of California, Davis. If it's not, you need to drink more fluids.

Ways to Fill Your Tank

If downing 2 quarts of water a day sounds like more than you can stomach, don't dry dock just yet. These tips from our experts will help you get a handle on staying hydrated.

Call in a substitute. All eight glasses don't have to be water. Other beverages like milk, juice, seltzer, and sparkling water can also count toward your daily intake. So can foods that contain lots of water such as soups and juicy fruits such as watermelon, cantaloupe, grapes, and oranges. But don't count beverages that contain alcohol or caffeine; they actually cause you to lose more water than you take in.

Punch up the flavor. If water's too plain for you, try flavored water or squeeze in fresh fruit like lemon, lime, orange, or pineapple. Or toss frozen juice ice cubes into your water they add flavor as they melt. For soft drink fans who miss the carbonation, try adding sparkling water to 1/4 cup of juice.

Sip before you snack. People often think that they're hungry when they're actually thirsty. So have a drink first; it may take care of your hunger pang.

Measure it out. Fill a 64 ounce pitcher and try to empty it by the end of the day.

Keep it close. Have a glass or bottle of water with you when you're at your desk, outdoors, in your car, or at the gym.

Take it slow. Sipping rather than gulping will prevent you from feeling bloated.

Make a pit stop. Every time you pass a water fountain, take a drink.