Alcohol Affects Your Blood Vessels If you drink too much, the blood vessels can burst, causing red spots and spidery splotches. Older drinkers are maybe even more likely to experience this. Their blood vessels are less elastic than young people's. Therefore, drinking alcohol can compound the natural effects of aging.
Alcohol and Melasma: What the Research Says
Excessive, prolonged, and chronic alcohol consumption damages the liver, making it more difficult for the body to metabolize hormones. This can lead to excessive levels of hormones in the body that trigger melanocytes to produce more melanin.
An alcoholic face may show signs such as persistent redness, puffiness, broken capillaries (spider veins), and dry or dull skin. Over time, these features can become more pronounced due to dehydration, liver strain, and inflammation caused by alcohol.
If you do experience early symptoms of ARLD, these are often quite vague, such as:
Age spots are caused by overactive pigment cells. Ultraviolet (UV) light speeds up the production of melanin, a natural pigment that gives skin its color. On skin that has had years of sun exposure, age spots appear when melanin becomes clumped or is produced in high concentrations.
According to a 2008 study, a deficiency in vitamin B12 can cause skin discoloration such as brown spots. This discoloration can occur even if no other symptoms are present. Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause “hyper-pigmentation”—this is a condition in which patches of skin become darker.
Brown spots on the skin are a result of increased pigmentation that typically appears on sun-exposed areas of the body. These spots are a common sign of aging and sun damage. However, this isn't always the case. They can range in colour from light brown to pink to dark brown or black.
Myth 3: Drinking hard liquor is worse than drinking beer or wine. Contrary to popular belief, the type of alcohol you drink doesn't make a difference – what matters is how much you drink. "The safe limit is fixed at 14 units a week," explains Dr Lui. "Below this limit, alcoholic fatty liver is less likely to occur.
Fatty liver disease is reversible. If you stop drinking alcohol for 2 weeks, your liver should return to normal.
What Are the First Signs of Kidney Damage From Alcohol?
Some people who want to reduce but not eliminate alcohol follow what's called the “1-2-3” rule for drinks: No more than one drink per hour. No more than two drinks per occasion. No more than three drinks per day.
Rhinophyma, commonly referred to as alcoholic nose, is a condition in which the nose takes on a red coloration and becomes enlarged in a bulbous shape. While many people attribute this disfiguration to heavy alcohol use, it is only lightly associated since excessive alcohol use often results in facial flushing.
Signs and symptoms may include:
What is the 20-minute rule for drinking less? After you've finished one drink, take a 20-minute break before you begin drinking your next one. Waiting 20 minutes can reduce cravings and keep you from going overboard.
Main symptoms of Hodgkin lymphoma
pain in the glands in your neck, armpit or groin when you drink alcohol. a high temperature. night sweats. shortness of breath.
It can: dry out (dehydrate) your skin. trigger flare-ups of conditions such as rosacea, eczema and psoriasis. lead to early ageing and acne.
A 2021 review of research notes that several studies determined that two to four weeks of abstinence from alcohol by heavy-alcohol users helped reduce inflammation and bring down elevated serum levels in the liver. In short: A few weeks off will help. But the longer you can abstain from alcohol, the better.
Liver detoxing is an important step in recovery and includes the following signs:
Liver problems
Early signs of liver damage from alcohol include nausea, stomach pain, and unintended weight loss. But there's usually a period of time when damage has occurred and a person doesn't experience any symptoms. Liver damage from alcohol most often happens when a person drinks alcohol every day over several years.
A nutritionist's top healthiest alcoholic drinks
Below, we explore 12 drinks that are often reported to support liver health — and tell you what the research says about each one.
The truth is, age spots don't usually appear overnight. They develop gradually over months or even years, often as a result of long-term sun exposure, natural changes in your skin, or even shifts in your hormones. But because they can multiply or darken over time, it can feel like they all showed up at once.
These include vitamin E, also called tocopherol, and vitamin C, also called ascorbic acid. These two vitamins are powerful antioxidant molecules. When combined in the same product, these effective anti-brown spot vitamins act in synergy.
You should consider seeing a dermatologist if you notice new brown spots, changes in the size, shape, or color of existing spots, or if a spot becomes itchy, painful, or starts to bleed. These could be signs of a more serious condition that requires prompt attention.