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How Alcohol Affects Your Beauty!

Alcohol consumption has become a part of our lives. Remember those weekends that seem incomplete without a touch of alcohol? Yep, that's what we're talking about. Alcohol gradually has made its way into our regular lives and somehow we fail to see how harmful that can be for us in the long run.

They say that too much of anything is bad and this definitely holds true for alcohol. Apart from its effects on health, alcohol can have a huge impact on your skin, hair and your overall appearance as well.

Alcohol

Being a regular drinker can strip your body off the nutrients it needs and affects you adversely. It severely dehydrates your body and can lead to many issues. While it may seem very regal sipping on that liquor, you must understand the ill-effects it comes with.

Skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema are common in heavy drinkers. [1] The best thing you can do is keep yourself hydrated and cut down on that alcohol intake.

In this article, we've discussed the various ways in which alcohol affects your skin, hair and your appearance. Have a look!

1. Dehydrates Your Skin

Dehydration is the first thing you feel when you wake up after a 'fun' night. Regular alcohol consumption severely dehydrates your body [2] and it can lead to dry and rough skin, which can, in turn, cause various skin issues. Keeping your body hydrated is mandatory in such cases. Drink as much water as you can.

2. Worsens Skin Issues

If you are already facing any skin issues such as acne, pimples etc., alcohol will aggravate the situation. The dehydration caused due to alcohol is the main culprit for that. So, if you're battling skin issues, we suggest you reduce your alcohol consumption.

3. Redness In The Skin

Alcohol can lead to inflammation and thus cause redness in the skin. But sometimes the situation can be way worse. Regular consumption of alcohol can lead to a skin condition known as rosacea, which usually leads to redness in the skin. [3] This is one of the adverse effects of alcohol misuse.

4. Puffy Face

You might have noticed that after a night of heavy drinking your face and your undereye area feels puffy. Well, this is one of the after-effects of alcohol consumption that has an effect on your appearance. So, if you don't want a puffy face, you know what you need to do!

5. Early Onset Of Signs Of Ageing

Although ageing is a natural process which we can't run from, excessive consumption of alcohol damages your skin and can lead to premature ageing of the skin . [4] You will notice wrinkles forming on your face and, loose and sagging skin, if you're a regular drinker.

6. Bloats Your Belly

A beer belly is something we all have heard about. Well, that is completely true. Excessive drinking will lead to a bloated belly and therefore, impact your appearance. Beer, whiskey and vodka are the drinks that will lead to not only a bloated belly but a bloated body.

7. Dark Circles

You might think that after a night of heavy drinking you fall asleep as soon as you hit the bed. But that's not the case if you drink regularly and excessively. Excessive consumption of alcohol will definitely compromise your quality of sleep and you might feel sleep deprived [5] and this, in turn, will affect your skin. Your skin loses its natural glow and it leads to dark circles under your eyes.

8. Body Odour

Body odour is another side effect of over-consumption of alcohol. It can enhance your body odour or worse - your body odour could be a result of excessive drinking [6] . So the next time you go for drinks, you might want to consider this fact.

9. Makes Your Hair Dry And Brittle

As discussed earlier, alcohol can dehydrate your body. The dehydration, among other things, makes your scalp dry and affects your hair. Excessive consumption of alcohol makes your hair dry, brittle and prone to damage. Besides, it can also cause itchiness in your scalp and give way to various hair issues.

10. Leads To Hair Loss

The lack of proper hydration in your body also leads to hair loss. Your hair follicles don't get the nourishment it needs and hence the hair becomes dry, brittle and your hair elasticity decreases. Excessive intake of alcohol makes your hair prone to damage and leads to hair fall and hair breakage. [7]

So that sums up how alcohol affects your beauty. These are the reasons why you need to give that bottle a rest and make some lifestyle changes. But along with that, you need to drink plenty of water and follow a proper diet that gives your body all the nutrients it needs.

View Article References
  1. [1] Higgins, E. M., & VIVIER, A. D. (1992). Invited review: alcohol and the skin.Alcohol and Alcoholism,27(6), 595-602.
  2. [2] ROBERTS, K. E. (1963). Mechanism of dehydration following alcohol ingestion.Archives of internal medicine,112(2), 154-157.
  3. [3] Alinia, H., Tuchayi, S. M., Patel, N. U., Patel, N., Awosika, O., Bahrami, N., ... & Feldman, S. R. (2018). Rosacea Triggers: Alcohol and Smoking.Dermatologic clinics,36(2), 123-126.
  4. [4] Schou, A. L., Mølbak, M. L., Schnor, P., Grønbæk, M., & Tolstrup, J. S. (2017). Alcohol consumption, smoking and development of visible age-related signs: a prospective cohort study.J Epidemiol Community Health,71(12), 1177-1184.
  5. [5] Park, S. Y., Oh, M. K., Lee, B. S., Kim, H. G., Lee, W. J., Lee, J. H., … Kim, J. Y. (2015). The Effects of Alcohol on Quality of Sleep.Korean journal of family medicine,36(6), 294–299. doi:10.4082/kjfm.2015.36.6.294
  6. [6] Senol, M., & Fireman, P. (1999). Body odor in dermatologic diagnosis.Cutis,63(2), 107-111.
  7. [7] Gatherwright, J., Liu, M. T., Amirlak, B., Gliniak, C., Totonchi, A., & Guyuron, B. (2013). The contribution of endogenous and exogenous factors to male alopecia: a study of identical twins.Plastic and reconstructive surgery,131(5), 794e-801e.

Story first published: Wednesday, May 15, 2019, 15:36 [IST]