What Drinking Alcohol Does to Your Skin? Quit Drinking for Clearer Skin
A person should speak with a doctor or dermatologist to find the best treatment. To combat the short-term effects of alcohol on the skin, a person can drink water to stay hydrated while consuming alcohol. If a person drinks alcohol regularly, the short-term effects, such as dry skin and flushing, are more likely to become a persistent problem. However, prolonged alcohol use can cause other complications that affect the skin, such as liver disease.
Melanoma
While moderation is important, drinking any amount of alcohol can contribute to skin damage and accelerated aging. To promote good skin health, limit your intake to the recommended guidelines, or ideally abstain entirely. Alcohol can impact skin appearance almost immediately, resulting in dryness, dullness, and puffiness, particularly after heavy drinking. The effect is cumulative, so these effects can worsen the more you drink. Improving your skincare routine could also make a big difference in reversing the aging effects of alcohol. It’s important to choose a cleanser that has good oil control without being too harsh or drying.
Books about skin diseases
- While harmless, larger pores make your skin look older and less healthy overall.
- For neoplastic skin diseases, it is apparent that alcohol consumption triggers and exacerbates skin tumors, with the relationships being dose dependent.
- Having a glass of water in between each alcoholic drink may decrease the risk of dehydration.
- Acne – Alcohol abuse reduces the body’s ability to process vital nutrients and vitamins that the skin needs to remain healthy.
- Don’t fret too much, however—after this, your skin will usually start to regain its healthy glow.
As alcohol abuse progresses, the belly can become hard and distended, and fluid buildup called ascites can be a sign of liver damage. While some medications and creams can help treat the condition, in the case of alcohol abuse, they’re a Band-Aid for the underlying trigger. Others fall in between, acquiring some undesirable physical traits due to the way alcohol affects all organs of the body. Insider talked to Utter and other specialists about some tell-tale signs of alcohol misuse or abuse — and how to change your patterns for better health and looks. Alcohol can dehydrate the skin, leading to dryness and dullness, and it may also cause inflammation and redness, disrupting the skin’s natural balance.
The Effects of Alcohol on Skin
It’s not likely to come as a surprise that alcohol consumption, especially in excess, can be harmful to health. Many people are aware of the short-term effects of drinking on a person’s ability to function, and they may even know about the impact of alcohol on the heart, liver, and other organs. However, very few people know or think about the way that drinking alcohol impacts skin health. Dermatology Partners in Lakewood and Denver, Colorado, “I see many patients who have noticed dark circles, redness, inflammation, and accelerated skin aging. I always ask about alcohol consumption, and I hope my patients are straightforward with me about how much they drink. Prolonged heavy drinking can also increase a person’s risk of more serious conditions, such as skin cancer.
- For a minor alcohol allergy, a physician might recommend an over-the-counter antihistamine or topical cream for itching.
- That said, it’s never too late to start making healthier decisions, and Dry January may be the perfect time to start.
- 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.
- Six months to 1 year after quitting drinking, your skin will have fully recovered.
- One of the most obvious visible signs of excess alcohol consumption is premature wrinkling of the skin.
Alcohol Rash: How Alcohol Affects Your Skin
Drinking alcohol can cause or worsen psoriasis3 (a condition that causes flaky skin) and rosacea4 (redness or flushing on the face). Melanoma, also how alcohol affects your skin referred to as malignant melanoma, is a highly malignant tumor arising from melanocytes. It predominantly affects the skin but can also be found in mucous membranes and internal organs.
The liver processes most of the alcohol we drink but is unable to deal with all of it. For heavy drinkers and those with an alcohol use disorder, the remaining alcohol leaves the body via breath, sweat, and urine. We spoke to Dr. Bart Kachniarz from Belcerna Plastic Surgery in Miami about skin-related side effects of alcohol abuse and how they can be treated, if at all.
- During this time, redness and blotchiness caused by alcohol will diminish, and sunken eyebags will plump up again as your body rehydrates.
- It also means that individuals who abuse alcohol are more likely to be drowsy during the day, making driving and working potentially dangerous.
- A 2014 study in the journal Clinical Endocrinology found that alcohol disrupts the body’s fluid balance, leading to water retention in the skin.
- Many of the effects of alcohol on your appearance are reversible if you reduce the amount that you drink.
Alcohol not only dehydrates your skin but also your hair and hair follicles. This can lead to hair becoming brittle and prone to damage, as well as hair loss. The information on our website is intended for educational purposes only.