As well as alcohol leaving you feeling dehydrated, sick and lethargic, the effects of one too many drinks are also visible on our skin and a real disruptor. Think about it, the day after you have had a few glasses of wine with your bestie, your skin might feel tight and look dull and lined, and you may even get a blemish or two if the drinks were really potent.
Current guidelines suggest that we should consume a maximum of 14 units of alcohol a week which is the equivalent to seven glasses of wine, seven pints of beer or 14 single measures of spirits. Think about it, and you might see that it is easy to reach this number quite quickly, especially if you have after work drinks one night, a party another and a family dinner at the weekend.
The reality is, while cocktails are fun, alcohol can have as much of a negative impact on your skin as it does the rest of your body; it takes away the goodness and hydration and leaves you with bloating, dryness and ill feeling.
We have had a look at some of the ways booze can negatively impact your skin, and what you can do to turn things round.
Dehydration
Alcohol is incredibly dehydrating because it has a diuretic effect which forces water out of our bodies. Not only does this cause that horrible feeling of sickness and leave us with a pounding headache, but we can also be left with dry, flaky skin as well as fine lines and wrinkles looking deeper due to the lack of water and moisture in your skin.
Breakouts
You might not know this, but the sugar in alcohol can crystallise your skin cells and this can lead to your complexion looking pasty, dull and those unwanted breakouts can make an appearance – which no one wants.
Puffy problems
Alcohol has an inflammatory effect on our bodies and our skin. Drinking now and again won’t set anything off, but over time drinking too many beers can lead to our internal organs becoming inflamed and our skin looking swollen and red, which isn’t a good look.
Bacteria issues
Another thing you might not realise, is that your evening tipple can harm the healthy bacteria that live in your gut. It is this bacteria that helps to keep your immune system working and strong, and when this isn’t the case you can be left with inflammatory skin conditions such as eczema and are more prone to breakouts…see the pattern here?
The trouble with hormones
We all know that hormones can rule our lives at certain times of the month, but alcohol can also have an impact. The main effect here is that drinking can leave you with hormonal imbalances which can have an adverse impact on your skin with more chances of blemishes, spots and dryness occurring.
Bad habits
It’s also important to think about the way alcohol can control our eating and sleeping habits because both of these both affect our skin. As well as the extra calories that come with drinking alcohol, when we feel a little merry we may overeat, increase our salt intake, and experience disturbed sleep, all of which can make our skin look less than healthy.
Now that we know what alcohol can do to your skin, the good news is that there is a road to recovery and if you knock the rosé on the head for even a few days a week, your skin can be happy again.
This happens because your liver has the time to get rid of alcohol, sugars and other toxins, so we would suggest that you have frequent booze free days and refrain from over-consuming when you do drink.
Rather than hitting the bar after work, why not go to a dance class which will leave your body pumped full of skin loving oxygen and good mood endorphins.
Always make sure you cleanse, tone and moisture morning and night, and if you have been partying a little too hard, why not have a facial to get your skin back on track?
You have to give up drinking altogether, maybe have one or two drinks at the weekend, sipping water in-between, and when you do order a Bailey’s, don’t go for a large bag of crisps or kebab too, because your skin won’t like you the next day.
Team Pure Beauty
