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If you’re worried that you’re not drinking enough water in the summer heat, a simple finger test can warn you if you’re dehydrated.
Simply pinch the skin with two fingers on your abdomen, the front of your hand, or the skin on your chest just below your collarbone for a few seconds, holding it in place as you pinch.
After pinching your skin for a few seconds, release it and if the skin immediately returns to its normal position, this means that you have normal turgor, which shows that you are sufficiently hydrated.
The skin that remains raised for a few seconds is called a “tent extension.”
The method has been the subject of several viral TikToks, and doctors back the trick.
Dr. Dana Brems, a podiatrist in Los Angeles, responded to a TikTok video in April showing how to perform the test.
In the original 2021 video, content creator Remus Bujor shows himself demonstrating the ‘dehydration check’ by grabbing the skin just above his knuckle.
“Squeeze the tip of your finger right here and if it goes back down, you’re hydrated,” Bujor said in the video. However, she notes that if the skin stays up, “you’re dehydrated.”
In its videoWhich has over 4.5 million views, Dr. Brems explains that this is called a skin turgor test, which measures the elasticity of the skin.
This is how quickly something can return to normal after being stretched or compressed.
“When you’re well hydrated, your skin has greater elasticity and quickly returns to its original shape after you pinch it,” Dr. Brems said.
‘On the other hand, dehydration leads to a decrease in skin elasticity and a slower return to normal.’
Staying hydrated helps your skin maintain collagen, a protein that provides structure and strength to your skin, muscles, and bones.
This collagen gives the skin its elasticity.
However, skin elasticity can decrease with age, regardless of how much water we drink.
Other signs of dehydration, according to the Mayo Clinic, include extreme thirst, less frequent urination, dark urine, fatigue, dizziness and confusion.
The Mayo Clinic recommends that men drink 15.5 cups of water a day (3.7 liters) and women 11.5 cups (2.7 liters).