Alcohol and Skin

Have you ever looked at your skin the morning after a night of heavy binge drinking and partying? While every change on skin might not be visible, the dullness and the dark circles are pretty obvious to everyone. Especially with the trending habit of teenagers to party every Friday and drink alcohol, the long-term harmful effects on their skin are inevitable.

Among many harmful effects of alcohol on the body and skin, dehydration is a major one. Alcohol is a diuretic which is the substance that increases the production of urine in the body. So, every time you drink your favorite beer and want to always pee, that is the reason why. As such drinking alcohol dehydrates your body and sadly gives your skin a dull and soggy appearance and fine wrinkles.  

“Alcohol is actually one of the worst, most aggressive compounds to destroy your skin,” says New York-based nutritionist Jairo Rodgriguez. Apart from causing dehydration, alcohol also inflames body tissues which cause skin breakouts, redness and puffiness. The high content of sugar in alcohol, especially in white wine and cocktails can contribute to the crystallization of skin cells, a phenomenon known as glycation which leads to instant breakouts. Beside that, sugar in alcohol also triggers insulin response in the body, which can negatively affect your sex life and affect thyroid hormones. Imbalance in thyroid hormones can cause skin problems like blackheads, whiteheads, breakouts, and in the long-term, permanent scarring and ageing. 

The good news is that your skin has a great capacity to regenerate. But that also depends on the extent of damage alcohol has already inflicted on it. If you are an occasional drinker or have been drinking for only a few years, you can regenerate your collagen cells and bounce back. We are not going to tell you to completely stop drinking, and spoil the fun. But there are alternative ways to reduce its harmful effect on the skin. The first step is choosing to drink only alcohol with low sugar content. Research shows that drinks like vodka and tequila have lower sugar content compared to other drinks like wine, beer and cocktails, get out of your system more easily and quickly. 

Another way is obviously to limit its intake. Drink only every other weekend or drink less.  And even when you do drink, make sure you also keep drinking water to keep the alcohol from getting you dehydrated. It is also important to keep your skin looking young and healthy through skin treatment. Use products that contain retinols that help regenerate skin cells that have been dried out by alcohol. Hyaluronic acid and its serum can also help retain water in your skin tissue to keep it moist. And antioxidants like Vitamin C, and green tea protects your skin after a long night of drinking. The main thing is maintain a good diet, limit alcohol intake, and don’t forget to drink the most important liquid, water.