Here's What Alcohol Really Does To Your Skin

It can cause inflammation, premature ageing and discolouration

By Annabelle Fernandez - published 16 Jun 2019

You meticulously apply serums every morning and lather on creams at night, but have you ever wondered what alcohol really does to your skin?

The odd tipple here or there isn’t going to break your face - we all need to let off steam - but if you’ve ever dabbled with the idea of going teetotal, this might just swing your other leg over the fence.

Alcohol is a hepatotoxin, meaning it specifically damages the liver. This organ is intimately connected to your skin function, so if your liver is distressed, it will manifest in your skin.

Drinking, which is classified as two drinks a day, not only takes all the fluid out of your skin, it can also cause inflammation, premature ageing and discolouration.

Here’s how.

What alcohol does to your skin: Dehydration

Congeners, aka your skin’s enemy: these chemicals, produced during the fermentation process that contribute to the taste and smell of alcohol, are the main culprit for a hangover. They also dehydrate your skin like the sun’s heat sapping out moisture from sand.

"Excessive alcohol tends to cause flushing in most people and will act as a diuretic and cause dehydration,” says Dr. Justine Hextall, one of London’s leading Dermatologists.

It also hinders the production of vasopressin, the hormone that helps you reabsorb water. So when you have a drink, you’re forcing water out and making it difficult for your body to rehydrate itself.

What alcohol does to your skin: Inflammation

Think those mojitos and caipirinhas taste too good to be… well, good? That’s because they’re are.

"Excessive carbs and sugar can lead to inflammation," explains Dr Hextall, "while salt can lead to bloating". Hence the bags and dark circles under your eyes after a big night out.

What alcohol does to your skin: Acne

The high levels of salt and sugar content in your alcoholic beverage, may trigger the hormone IGF-1, which causes an over-production of oil in your skin.

Team this with spiking insulin levels that cause inflammation and you’ve got yourself a recipe for acne.

"When the skin follicles become blocked with skin cells and oil, oil starts to build up behind this blockage, resulting in the subsequent development of spots," says Dr Hextall.

What alcohol does to your skin: Premature ageing

When you drink alcohol, you increase chances of cell damage and increased skin ageing. "Dehydration weakens the skin barrier, which can allow environmental aggressors to cause damage," Dr Hextall clarifies.

It also decreases your liver’s store of vitamin A, which is a powerful antioxidant that helps promote cell turnover and protect your skin from things like pollution.

What alcohol does to your skin: Discolouration

Alcohol acts as a vasodilator, meaning it opens up your blood vessels. If your vessels over-dilate, they can burst, leaving you with small peripheral veins that can become permanently enlarged (you may notice these as broken red veins around your nose and on your cheeks).

On top of that, if your liver is failing to function properly, it can make your skin look dull and cause pigmentation around your eyes.

This article originally appeared on Harper's Bazaar UK.

Beer

Bad, but not horrific. "Whilst beer does contain some salt, it also has some redeeming qualities" says Dr Bunting. "It contains antioxidants and other anti-ageing benefits." Who knew?"Plus, beer has less alcohol in it than spirits and people tend to drink it slower so it will have a less dehydrating effect than other more potent forms." Photo: Getty

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Gin & Tonic

Not great, but not the worst. "Gin and vodka are both free of congeners (so less likely to produce the symptoms of a hangover). They are also relatively low in sugar and salt, provided you go for diet tonic, so all in all the spirits are less unkind to the skin than their cocktail counterparts," explains Dr Bunting. Photo: Getty

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Margarita

One of the worst. "A margarita serves up a double whammy due to the dangerous duo of sugar AND salt," says Dr Bunting. "This leads to the puffy faced look we associate with a hangover, not to mention the other potentially ageing effects of sugar long-term". Photo: Getty

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Mojito

Bad (especially for wrinkles. "As we just covered, sugar anywhere in the diet, along with other excessive carbs, leads to systemic inflammation, which can lead to increased skin ageing. The less sugar you take in with your alcohol, the better for your long-term wrinkle risk. Unfortunately mojitos are loaded with sugar/sugar syrup, as are drinks mixed with Red Bull, fruit juices or Coca-Cola," explains Dr Bunting.And it's not just wrinkles you have to worry about, "sugar also causes acne by spiking your insulin levels, causing inflammation throughout the body." Photo: Getty

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Red Wine

Nooooooo. "Alcohol is a vasodilator, meaning it promotes the opening of blood vessels in the skin, which is how it leads to increased redness. Red wine is one of the worst culprits, as it’s also a histamine releaser which again promotes redness and flushing," says Dr Bunting. "This makes it the worst drink, particularly if you're prone to redness or with rosacea." Photo: Getty

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Tequila

Not as bad as you think. "Tequila has less sugar than most other alcoholic counterparts, so it's less likely to trigger inflammation and breakouts." Says Dr Bunting. "Skip the salt, and there's less chance of a major hangover. This is because tequila is a high-purity spirit and doesn’t contain the congeners of darker spirits like whisky or rum." Photo: Getty

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White Wine

Things are getting bad. Most of us are all too familiar with the pounding headache brought on by a night on the white wine, and surprise surprise it won't do any favours for your skin, either... "White wine is high in sugar, which leads to systemic inflammation, this means that it ultimately contributes to cell damage and increased skin ageing" says Dr Bunting. "White wine has zero redeeming qualities, as there is nothing in it to offer the skin in terms of health benefits." Photo: Getty

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Here's What Alcohol Really Does To Your Skin