Effects of alcohol on skin and how to repair the damage

Of the many bodily processes impacted by alcohol, sleep ranks among the most vulnerable. And by interfering with your sleep cycle, alcohol effectively and significantly compromises your body’s cellular rejuvenation cycle. (Not to mention, your key cognitive functions.) This is when your body best heals itself from all ailments, and when it rapidly regenerates cells in order to keep you in tip-top shape. As that pertains to superficial cells, it means that your skin looks more dull, and its texture is rougher. A person with AUD may be unable to manage their drinking habits and may drink heavily. Prolonged drinking can lead to chronic dehydration and disruption of the skin barrier’s function.

Seborrhoeic dermatitis has been observed to be more frequent in heavy drinkers. Alcohol abuse has been defined as recurrent alcohol use where it impacts on work, school or home, or to the point it is physically dangerous, gets you into trouble with the law, or continues despite the problems it has created. Mixing your cocktail with sparkling water, seltzer, or club soda can be a good alternative to regular sugary mixers. Dark liquors typically contain more chemicals called congeners, like tannins and methanol.

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If you wake up with a puffy face or sagging under the eyes, you’re not alone. Ever wondered why you can’t clock a perfect night of sleep post-drinking? You may feel like you’ve been knocked out for a few hours, but oftentimes the quality of your sleep is compromised. https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/why-does-alcohol-cause-bruising/ Alcohol’s impact on the skin is not as straightforward as you might think. What goes in your drink, how you spend your night, and even how alcohol makes you feel all contribute to what happens to your skin and how it will look the morning after.

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Luckily, there are steps you can take to protect your skin from the effects of a night of drinking. Excessive dehydration from alcohol might not seem like a big deal in the short term. But chronically dehydrated skin will become much more visibly aged and damaged over 10 or 20 years, compared with healthy, hydrated skin. “Drinking water before, during, and after alcohol intake can help to reduce the effects of alcohol on the body,” Garshick notes.

For the first week after your last drinking session, your skin might still be reeling. Don’t fret too much, however—after this, your skin will usually start to regain its healthy glow. Dark liquors contain compounds called congeners, which are theorized to cause worse hangovers than other types of alcohol. And these killer hangovers can amplify the parched, red, and puffy skin that you’re used to seeing after a night out. Like any type of alcohol, white wine is best enjoyed in moderation—especially if you want to keep your skin in tip-top shape. And although your favorite champagne may taste light, it likely contains a significant amount of sugar.

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However, if left untreated, excess tissue can grow in the form of bumps across affected areas. Sufferers usually find that red wine is most likely to trigger flare ups and a single drink is often enough to bring on symptoms. Although it’s well-known that smoking causes premature skin aging, you may not realize that when it comes to drinking excessively, alcohol skin problems like wrinkles are also a risk. This in part relates to the fact that dehydrated skin is more likely to develop fine lines and creases. There’s also a connection between alcohol and wrinkles because alcohol generates free radicals, which can adversely affect your skin’s structure, making it more prone to fine lines. This may come as a surprise to you, as drinking moderately, particularly when it’s red wine, is often said to protect your heart due to its antioxidant content.

• Alcohol is a toxin and regular consumption of it has many immediate effects on how your skin looks, and can have a long-term impact on how skin ages by impairing your skin’s ability to repair itself.
• Alcohol is one of these lifestyle factors that strongly influences your skin condition.
• Drink plenty of water to rehydrate your body both during and post alcohol consumption, which will in turn rehydrate your skin.
• Habitual drinking can “accentuate fine lines, broken blood vessels, sun spots, and puffy eyes,” says Brendan Camp, MD, a double-board certified dermatologist.
• Semi-sweet and sweet wines have a much higher sugar content and can therefore contribute to skin problems like other sugary drinks.

“I used to spend a fortune on skin creams and facials, and they’d barely make a difference – but quitting alcohol, even in just the first couple of weeks, had a dramatic and instant effect on my complexion.” Lighter coloured drinks such as vodka, gin and tequila contain the least amount of additives and are processed by the body quickest. This means that they should have the least impact on your skin, therefore minimising potential damage.

How to help your skin recover from drinking.

Additionally, when someone regularly drinks large quantities of alcohol, spider veins (or what some think is a rash from drinking too much) can appear on the surface of their skin. While alcohol can directly cause an alcoholic rash, if you have liver damage because of drinking, this can also contribute to the appearance of extra veins. As your veins are more prone to damage with alcohol abuse, how alcohol affects your skin they become leaky, which can also cause your face and other areas of your skin to look swollen. So, aside from drinking in moderation, what is Dr. Spizuoco’s advice on mitigating superficial strain while drinking? She suggests alternating between a serving of alcohol and a glass of water. “This can minimize harmful effects of alcohol on the skin by hydrating the tissues and skin,” she says.