The lack of alcohol gives your skin a nice boost.
A glass of wine here, a cocktail there and don’t forget the glasses of champagne: we thoroughly enjoyed it during the holidays. Many people therefore choose to start the year alcohol-free and participate in Dry January. Not drinking alcohol for a month naturally has all kinds of benefits, even for your skin!
Troubled skin
It probably won’t surprise you that alcohol isn’t exactly a miracle cure for your skin. Research has shown that regular consumption of alcohol can cause vitamin deficiency, tissue damage, disruption of inflammatory responses and reduced collagen production. This can all manifest itself as bags under your eyes, a ‘sagging’ face and more visible blood vessels in your cheeks. No surprise that after a night of partying, your skin can look quite restless.
“Alcohol dehydrates your body. One of the first places you see this is your skin,” dermatologist Stacy Chimento tells Well+Good. “It also causes inflammation, which can make your skin look blotchy, red, tired and dry.” In short: you look tired and older.
Extra boost
While improving your skin may not be the only reason to give up the alcohol (for a while), it is an unavoidable and very welcome side effect. If you leave the bottle of alcohol for 31 days – such as during Dry January – you will notice a difference in your skin, says dermatologist Rachel Nazarian to Well+Good. “You will see that your skin starts to get stronger. Your skin will look a little glowier and less red within the first two weeks.”
Would you like to give your skin an extra helping hand? Then Dr. Nazarian recommends treating your face with nourishing creams. According to her, creams with ingredients such as hyaluronic acid and ceramides in particular will hydrate your skin well. Suffering from redness? Then it is better to choose a cream with niacinamide. Finally, bakuchiol helps stimulate collagen and elastin – without drying out the skin – to prevent premature skin aging.
Do you think a whole month without wine is a bit too much? Then Dr. Nazarian recommends drinking a glass of red wine every now and then, which will do the least damage to your skin. Cheers to beautiful skin!
Source: Glamial archive, Things for Women | Image: Adobe Stock
