Now that Christmas is over and you're done with all the alcoholic parties, you're probably curious about the effect of all those alcoholic drinks on your skin. We all know that excessive drinking has many negative effects on our general health, but what exactly are the effects of alcohol on your skin? Is alcohol really as bad for the skin as it is sometimes said? In this blog, we explain why going alcohol-free in January (or any other month) can help get your skin back on track.
SKINTIP
In this skintip , Dr. Barbara Geusens talks about the effect of alcohol on your skin. Of course you can have a drink every now and then. Wondering which type of alcohol is best for your skin?
THE MAJOR DISADVANTAGES OF ALCOHOL FOR THE SKIN
1. Sleep Disorder
Alcohol can disrupt our "body clock," making it difficult to sleep at night. This can be detrimental to our skin, as thesleep phase is crucial for our body and skin to recharge . When we sleep, our body and mind recharge. Physiological changes occur: our body temperature and blood pressure drop, our breathing slows down and our body produces hormones. Each in their own way, they stimulate the recovery and regeneration of the skin. Read more about the importance of a good night's sleep here.
2. Dehydration
Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it forces water out of the body. After drinking, a disturbed fluid balance arises and vitamins and minerals are withdrawn from the body. The body will struggle to get hydrated again afterwards. This imbalance not only causes headaches (hangover), but also leads to dehydrated skin . Considering that hydration is one of the most important factors for a healthy and radiant skin, dehydration will make fine lines and wrinkles more visible due to the lack of water. That is why it is important to drink a lot of water to restore the water balance.
Excessive and frequent drinking can lead to chronic dehydration and disruption of skin barrier function.
3. Pimples and breakouts
A common drinking problem—which is directly related to the sugars and carbohydrates found in alcoholic beverages—is the occurrence of breakouts and breakouts . Elevated blood sugar and insulin levels lead to higher androgen production . This imbalance in hormone levels can affect the skin's sebum production and lead to breakouts. One drink won't cause acne breakouts, but frequent drinking can affect acne, especially in young people.
4. Skin "flush" and redness
Alcohol acts as a remover , meaning it affects the blood vessels in the skin. Blood vessels dilate and result in facial redness. What initially looks like a harmless 'flush' can result in persistent redness that, if left untreated, turns into a (serious) skin condition such as rosacea. A skin condition that you don't get rid of easily...
Conclusion
Although every skin will react differently to alcohol, we can unfortunately conclude that alcohol is bad for every skin. As explained above, alcohol negatively affects the skin based on several mechanisms. Of course, the occasional drink won't do serious damage to your skin. Only when you use alcohol for a long time or in large quantities, the skin actually suffers damage. As with many things in life, you need to find the right balance...
Alcohol & Nome
We check both your genetic profile and your lifestyle to select the right ingredients for your skin profile.
Alcohol is one of these lifestyle factors that strongly influence your skin condition. By taking a Lifestyle Test, we can discover which product suits your lifestyle right now.
Nomige day cream is also called 'Lifestyle cream' and is tailored to your lifestyle. All Lifestyle creams contain specific ingredients that respond to external factors. By completing the Lifestyle Test, we determine which cream suits your lifestyle.
