We all love a little tipple every now and then. Whether it’s meeting up with your girlfriends for a good cocktail after work, enjoying a drink with an evening meal or having a glass of wine at home to unwind after a busy day, modern women are consuming more alcohol than ever. Most of us are aware about the effect an extra glass of wine has on our waistline, but how many of us ever considered what effect it’s having on our skin?
So can drinking alcohol really speed up the clock? Well, the truth is yes, it can make you age faster by causing premature wrinkles, dehydration and loss of collagen. So put down the glass of wine and learn how booze wrecks your skin.
Puffer Flusher
Alcohol works as a vasodilator when it is metabolised. It simply means that it widens the blood vessels that bring blood to the skin. This can lead to redness as well as puffiness or swelling. When one consume a lot of alcohol over a long period of time, the blood vessels will continue to grow and enlarge. This will eventually lead to dull skin, blotchy appearance or permanent redness similar to rosacea. These affects mainly the face, chest, arms and abdomen.
Some said the cost of reversing all this damage was a wake-up call. Broken capillaries and redness on the cheeks would require a few sessions of laser therapy, the teeth-staining sometimes costs quite a bit in whitening, not to mention liposuction on that double chin.
Damage Control: Drinking causes dilatation and enlargement of blood vessels which leads to flushing and, if you’re prone to rosacea, could aggravate it. Vbeam Laser is one of the most effective treatments for redness and broken capillaries.
Dries Your Skin Out
Alcohol is very dehydrating as it acts like a diuretic. The more you drink, the more dehydrated you get. This can lead to sallowness, deepening of wrinkles and dryness. Your kidneys work overtime and take excess water away from your system, sending it to your bladder instead of your vital organs. And since your skin is the largest organ, it gets the most damage.
Damage Control: Well, you don’t have to sacrifice your night out. A rule of thumb is to have a glass of water in between drinks to keep yourself hydrated while enjoying your favourite brew. You’ll be glad to have your skin hydrated and your body will love you for avoiding nasty morning hangover.
It Ages Your Skin – Instantly
Alcohol undoubtedly has an adverse effect on your appearance in the short and long-term. Not only that it dries our skin which lead to fine lines and premature ageing, it also causes bloating and dark eye circles under your eyes. Dry skin is much more likely to wrinkle than well-hydrated, plump skin. And yes, that bottle of Bordeaux you and your husband polished off the other night could be to blame for that new wrinkle!
To begin with, alcohol contains no nutrients. In fact, alcohol depletes healthy nutrients that aid in carrying oxygen throughout the body. Big drinkers are chronically deficient in Vitamin A, which is vital to collagen and elastin formation. Alcohol also has a detrimental impact on your Vitamin B3 and C levels, which are crucial antioxidants for your skin that help in the regeneration of new cells.
Damage Control: Try a specialist anti-ageing cream, SW1 Shop Age Defy. A carefully formulated product that contains clinical-strength Vitamin A and skin-plumping collagen to smooth fine lines, wrinkles, and fade dark spots. There is no doubt that Retinoids (Vitamin A derivatives) are the best age erasers.
A gentle, natural hyaluronic acid filler such as Restylane could help. Instant wrinkle fillers can make skin look smoother, firmer and erase creepy lines. Try the Revitalift treatment to rejuvenate tired lacklustre dehydrated skin. It brightens the skin, enhance the complexion and keep skin cells well-hydrated.
Drink to that?
To bring the warning home, an app was developed a few years ago where one can look in a ‘drinking mirror’ and see how one will look in years to come if they consume alcohol excessively. Take a look on how this app shows the long-term effects alcohol has on looks.
Jennifer Aniston would become lined and overweight if she drank ten glasses of wine a week
Kim would age this much in the future if she carried on being a party girl.
Rihanna would get blotchy cheeks and puffy eyes if she drink alcohol excessively.
Having all that being said, it’s the quantity and frequency of your drinking that really determine the effects. Some studies have shown that alcohol has some health benefits when you drink in moderation. So keep a healthy balance, drink in moderation in combination with appropriate water and food intake is ideal.