Well, it’s that time again. Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years.
We attend more parties, eat more and drink more alcohol too.
So, let’s take a look at what alcohol does to our skin.
1- Alcohol can dehydrate your skin. It is a diuretic, meaning we urinate more when drinking alcohol. And prevents production of a hormone called vasopressin. Vasopressin helps us reabsorb water. So alcohol forces out water and also makes it harder to hydrate our bodies. We also know what dehydrated skin can look like, more lines, wrinkles, dull and sallow.
2- You know how our faces flush (turn pink) when we have a little too much to drink. Alcohol also opens up our blood vessels. And if our blood vessels dilate (expand, widen, enlarge) they can cause broken capillaries on our face.
3- The powerful antioxidant, Vitamin A levels decrease with alcohol consumption. Vitamin A causes cellular turnover and cell renewal, giving our skin it’s healthy glow. Lack of Vitamin A can make it harder to fight off free radicals which do damage to the lipid layer (moisture center) of our skin.
4-Sugar in alcohol-White wine contains sugar and salt. Wine can cause bloating, swollen skin, and makes us hungry. Beer also contains salt. When we ingest a lot of salt, we get thirsty, our eyes swell and we need to drink more water to get rid of the salt. Beer has less alcohol than straight liquor. Mixed drinks often contain sugary soda, or margaritas which can contain salt and sugar. Sugar also causes inflammation which in turn causes cell damage and increased skin aging. Sugar also causes acne by spiking insulin levels and causing inflammation all throughout our bodies.
So, what’s your best bet to minimize alcohol’s negative effect on our skin? Choose carefully what you drink, and use moderation.
Like to book a facial treatment at Afterglow?
Afterglow Age Management and Corrective Skincare is located at 1 Richmond Square in Providence, RI. Visit www.afterglowprovidence.com for more information or to make an appointment yourself or call 401-575-9004.