Why Going Alcohol Free Could Save Your Skin

It certainly gets a party going.  But have you considered how alcohol affects your skin?  Most of us focus on the negative effects alcohol has on the liver and tend to forget about its impact on the body’s largest organ, the skin.  So what is the impact and is it worth going alcohol-free this season to avoid? 

One of the biggest effects alcohol has on your skin is dehydration, and dehydration is one of your skin’s greatest enemies because it causes existing wrinkles and open pores to be more visible, and it contributes to new ageing signs, in particular dullness: skin which is suffering from the effects of too much alcohol looks dry, dull and lacking in healthy plumpness. 

Certain alcohol, specifically beer, and red and white wine, has been shown to increase the risk of rosacea in women.  While the natural body enzyme acetaldehyde may cause redness and flushing, rosacea is an aggravated version of this, as alcohol dilutes the blood vessels in the skin, although with increased sensitivity and pimples.  Side note: you’re safe with clear spirits though, like vodka. 

While sun is the number one premature skin ager, most people don’t realise that the second major cause of skin aging is inflammation, so any way we can avoid inflammation will be better for our skin.  What alcohol does is bring the blood up to the tissue causing inflammation so that’s why it’s harmful to the skin. That can manifest in blotchiness, redness, ruddiness, and dehydration. 

Although certain alcoholic beverages like red wine are known to have some health benefits, consuming alcohol in excess is never a healthy choice.  Filling your body with the empty calories and sugars that many of your happy hour drinks are filled with can lead to malnutrition in chronic cases, which impacts on your complexion.  Alcohol is a toxin with little nutrient value and can contribute to poorer liver function, reduced immunity, hormone disruption, cell damage and insulin issues, all of which impact on the quality, appearance and aging of skin.   

Alcohol is also a diuretic so you can lose skin cell-loving water from the body rapidly when you drink it, leaving skin dehydrated and dull.  When people drink excessively you can see it in the dullness and pastiness of skin, the puffiness under their eyes and even broken capillaries. 

So what happens to your skin when you actually cut out alcohol? 

An hour after your last drink, your body begins to work overtime to clear your skin (and the rest of your body) from the excess toxin you just ingested.  Your body goes into detox mode to clear the alcohol from your bloodstream and prevent alcohol poisoning.  As you drink your last drink, your liver starts working overtime. 

She also said that your pancreas also starts producing extra insulin due to shock. 

Within a 24-hour period, your skin will see a bit of an improvement when it comes to dryness and symptoms of rosacea.  That said, skin still has a long way to go before it fully bounces back, and will still be recovering from its own type of hangover.  One day after drinking, however, your skin will still be dehydrated and blotchy.  

After your seven-day stretch of sobriety skin will begin to have a dewy, healthier look and a youthful glow due to restored hydration.  You may want to keep your cleansers and spot treatments at hand though because while your skin’s lipid barrier will begin to heal itself from inflammation, your pores will purge, which means more breakouts as your skin pushes toxins out of pores and onto the surface of your skin. 

After a month of staying alcohol-free, your skin will likely be significantly healthier-looking.  It will be less puffy, more even toned and plumper with better hydration.  If you’ve kept this up since the beginning of December you might find that your skin is so much improved that you can go tights-free with your LBD .. All you’ll need is a layer of Sun-Lite Sheer Lingerie For Legs and your heels, no other cover-up leg wear. 

Your skin will definitely reap from the benefits of going sober for good.  Since your liver will be significantly repaired from the damages of alcohol by this point, your skin will have an overall healthier appearance and naturally radiant look.