What Effects Does Alcohol Have on The Skin?

Everything is ok in moderation, right? Maybe so, but when it comes to alcohol, moderate and regular consumption can lead to some undesired implications for your skin.

We do everything to keep our skin glowy and glam. We try all the face washes, serums, creams, brighteners, oils, exfoliators, but sometimes we forget that the omission of something harmful can also have a big impact.

So, we know that eliminating alcohol could help our skin, but is it completely necessary? And frankly, what other options do we have?!

The Big Two: Dehydration and Inflammation

You’ve heard that alcohol is dehydrating, that’s why when you drink it’s important to keep water nearby to help flush out all that toxic junk. It’s just a little coincidence (an unfortunate one) that one of the most necessary ingredients for your skin to be healthy and all aglow is WATER. The second problem with alcohol is that it is inflammatory. Alcohol tends to inflame the tissue, and this systemic inflammation releases the hormone histamine, which creates redness of the skin. What does this exactly mean for your skin?

The Effects of Dehydration on the Skin

When you’re feeling parched, so does your skin!

There are many effects of dehydration on the skin, and none of them are particularly good.

1. Dryness
2. Dullness (no glow!)
3. Large pores (acne)
4. Loss of elasticity (wrinkles and sagging skin)

Alcohol removes the nutrients your skin needs to be hydrated because it is a diuretic. Don’t get dehydration confused with dryness, as one causes the other. Dehydrated skin is considered a condition whereas dry skin is seen as a skin type.

The Effects of Inflammation on the Skin

1. Redness (can be more permanent)
2. Blotchiness (inconsistencies in the skin)
3. Puffiness
4. Rosacea

What causes the inflammation, especially in drinks like wine and cocktails, are the high levels of sugar. Sugar in alcoholic drinks can trigger a hormone called IGF-1. This is the culprit for causing a lot of oil in your skin.

More oil means more acne, spots and breakouts. This isn’t the only issue; alcohol also tends to send inflammatory signals to cause redness and flushing because it opens up blood vessels more than normal. This also leads to puffiness rather than plumpness.

Treatments and Techniques That Restore Your Skin’s Beauty

First, we recommend drinking moderately, and straying away from alcoholic beverages that contain a lot of sugar, like certain wines, cocktails and mixers.

Second, there are so many new and advanced treatments that can treat the short-term and long-lasting effects of alcohol on the skin, like spots, permanent redness, puffiness and dryness.

RELAX AND GET A FACIAL

People don’t realize just how effective facials are. Not only do they result in a glowy complexion, but they have some great relaxing and de-stressing qualities. After a night of heavy drinking, a facial is exactly what you need!

Facials help cleanse the skin on a deeper level. The spa specialist will use steam that helps open up your pores and rid your skin of the dullness. After that, an extraction tool is used to help remove whiteheads and blackheads. This with exfoliation can help you shed off that layer of dead skin and dirt.

Regular facials help boost cell regeneration which means keeping your skin youthful. The promotion of collagen production means rejuvenating your skin’s elasticity, strength and hydration.

GET A NEW LAYER OF SKIN WITH A CHEMICAL PEEL

After a hard night of partying, it would be so nice if we could just peel back a layer of our skin to reveal a new, rejuvenated look. A chemical peel is probably the easiest way to do that.

A “chemical peel” is just a chemical solution that is applied to the skin to exfoliate and cleanse to reveal a fresh new layer of skin. They mainly unclog your pores, clear acne, even out skin tone and soften fine lines.

TRY AN IPL TREATMENT

For those seeking to really reverse the damage of alcohol consumption on your skin, Lumecca IPL might be the perfect option for you. IPL stands for Intense Pulsed Light. This isn’t a completely new technology, but for as long as it’s been around it’s been highly popular for patients seeking to reduce redness and other imperfections.

Lumecca by InMode is the most powerful IPL to treat pigmentation in the skin as well as vascular lesions. After just one use, patients notice significant improvements in the complexion and clarity of their skin. How? Lumecca uses light energy to target a certain color. When the skin is heated, your body gets rid of the unwanted cells (like those that cause high pigmentation). Unlike lasers, Lumecca sends out more than one wavelength of pulsating light, so it is highly effective.

Get any one of these treatments here at Garcia Weight Loss and Aesthetics! Call us for more information or visit our website to book an appointment at one of our Florida locations.