What Happens to Your Skin When You Cut Alcohol from Your Diet

The new year is an opportunity to set new goals for yourself. Whether that’s getting a new job or getting fit, the new year is a great time to reflect.

Many of these goals include living a healthy life. Giving up alcohol can be a huge part of this. Do you know about the effects of alcohol on the skin?

There are numerous negative effects on our skin that are linked to drinking alcohol.

During the month of December, we attend plenty of parties and end of year events. Alcohol tends to be served at most of these, so it feels like it’s all around us. Unfortunately, our normally healthy skin suffers.

If you’ve ever woken up after a great night out with not only a sore head and a hangover but a brand-new pimple and dry skin, you’re not alone. The effects of alcohol on the skin are, unfortunately, very real. We often realize this when it’s much too late, and we’ve already done the damage.

Dry January – giving up booze for the month – can give us a chance to push ‘reset’ on our skin. As part of a healthy diet, generally, a little alcohol is considered to be okay. Sometimes though, we just need a bit of a fresh start.

Effects of Alcohol on the Skin

Inflammation

Have you ever looked in the mirror on a night out and realized that your usually healthy skin is looking super red? I think most of us have been there.

Alcohol, unfortunately, increases inflammation in our skin. In particular, if you have an inflammatory skin condition already, alcohol can make it worse — for example, acne or rosacea.

How does this happen? It’s to do with the effects of alcohol on the skin and, in particular, your blood vessels. Alcohol makes our blood vessels dilate, which changes how our skin looks – more and more vessels dilating makes it appear redder. Alcohol is, unfortunately, not a great food for healthy skin.

Dry Skin

Hydration is a critical component of healthy skin. Alcohol is, unfortunately, a diuretic, meaning that it makes us need to pee a lot. In this case, one of the effects of alcohol on the skin is dehydration.

Dehydration can cause our skin to look less plump and make wrinkles appear more visible. It will also make our skin dry, which can take a while to combat with countless products.

The Link Between Food and Skin

Often when we’re drinking alcohol, we’ve strayed from our usually healthy diet and are not eating food for healthy skin.

What we eat has a massive effect on our skin. Food for healthy skin consists of at least 5 or more fruit and vegetables a day.

The abundant vitamins and minerals in fruit and vegetables help to maintain a clear and glowing complexion. Don’t underestimate the effects of a healthy diet for the skin!

What Happens to Your Skin When You Cut out Alcohol?

Say hello again to healthy skin! Your skin will feel rejuvenated and revitalized after you get rid of alcohol from your diet. If you usually drink, the effects of alcohol on the skin are massive, as you read about above. So, the benefits of not drinking will be huge.

Let’s see what happens on a post-drinking timeline:

1 Hour

Just one hour after your last drink, your body is already working to remove the toxins. Your liver starts doing its thing and will be removing the toxins.

1 Day

You’re going to see an improvement in redness within 24 hours after you stop drinking. The effect of dehydration, however, will take a bit longer to reduce. Ensure that you’re drinking plenty of water and moisturizing your skin.

1 Week

It’ll take at least a week, but when you cut out alcohol, you will notice you have much more glowing skin. That dewy, healthy skin you’ve always dreamed of will be yours! You’re going to really notice the effects of alcohol on the skin that you were experiencing before once they are gone. You’ll be much more hydrated at this stage.

1 Month

After a month, you should be able to see a massive change in your skin. It will have a more even tone with less redness. You’ll have less swelling and more hydration.

Take the challenge and cut alcohol out of your diet for the new year. You’ll really get to learn about the effects of alcohol on the skin once you’re no longer experiencing them.

Make sure you eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and stick to a healthy diet during this time as these will help renew your skin too. They will give you all the nutrients and minerals you need for fabulous healthy skin.

Look radiant, glowing, and youthful. Enjoy the benefits of having fresh, dewy skin.

Who knows, you may never want to go back to drinking once you see the changes in your skin.