Dehydrates the skin Alcohol can leave the skin dry and tight, as it is a known diuretic. It alters the function of the kidneys and increases urine production, which then dehydrates the body. This drying effect can show up on your face or skin, resulting in wrinkles and added years to your appearance.
Alcohol dehydrates your body, including the skin – and this happens every time you drink. When you drink, the dehydrating (or 'diuretic') effect of alcohol means your skin loses fluid and nutrients that are vital for healthy-looking skin. This can make your skin look wrinkled, dull and grey, or bloated and puffy.
As mentioned above, alcohol disrupts the production of collagen. By doing that, alcohol actually leaves our skin much weaker and the result of this loss of collagen is more wrinkles, more sagging, and generally older-looking skin.
As soon as you give up alcohol, it's amazing just how fast your appearance will change. You'll look more vibrant, in shape, and healthy. In addition to all of these big changes above, you'll also experience less puffiness, less bloating, a slimmer appearance, clearer eyes, and smoother skin.
Alcohol depletes collagen
Fewer vitamins mean less collagen production. By depriving your body of collagen, alcohol deprives your body of collagen's numerous health benefits, notably the health of your hair and skin.
Since alcohol depletes levels of vitamins, (especially vitamin A) the skin's collagen levels plummet. As a result, a person's skin may lose all elasticity and become wrinkled. Wrinkles may be caused by alcohol's ability to dehydrate the skin as well.
Most people who give up alcohol notice that their skin is dewy, and healthier looking after just one week. By the end of Dry January, you're likely to see less swelling, clearer skin, and an overall healthy glow.
Although positive changes may appear earlier, 3 months of not drinking can not only improve your mood, energy, sleep, weight, skin health, immune health, and heart health. It can even reduce your risk of cancer.
Week three of giving up alcohol
Drinking too much alcohol can cause your blood pressure to rise over time. After 3-4 weeks of not drinking, your blood pressure will start to reduce. Reducing your blood pressure can be crucial as it can help to lessen the risk of health problems occurring in the future.
"It takes approximately 28 days for your skin to renew itself", says Imogen. "This process varies from person to person and is age dependent, so to see a difference in the condition of your skin you would need to give up drinking for at least a month to see an improvement."
You might not be able to fully reverse some of the effects of alcohol-related aging naturally. There are some things though that you can do to improve your overall health and well-being to counterbalance many of the effects of alcohol-related aging.
Alcohol can leave the skin dry and tight, as it is a known diuretic.
Over time, excessive alcohol use can lead to the development of chronic diseases and other serious problems including: High blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, liver disease, and digestive problems. Cancer of the breast, mouth, throat, esophagus, voice box, liver, colon, and rectum.
If you stop drinking completely, one of the first things you notice should be improved energy levels, better sleep and finding it easier to wake up in the morning. Regular drinking can affect the quality of your sleep making you feel tired and sluggish during the day.
The characteristics of Wine Face, as told to Cosmopolitan, are 'pronounced lines or redness between the eyes, droopy eyelids, enlarged pores, dehydrated skin with feathery lines across cheeks, reddish cheeks and nose, deep nasolabial folds'.
Alcohol reduces collagen and elastin production, leaving the skin duller, wrinkled, and aged beyond one's years. Beer, wine, and liquor also increase inflammation and disrupt lipid production. As a result, the skin may look dry and wrinkled, similar to sun damage.
What do you mean by heavy drinking? For men, heavy drinking is typically defined as consuming 15 drinks or more per week. For women, heavy drinking is typically defined as consuming 8 drinks or more per week.
However, by day 4 without alcohol, most people will have got beyond any initial withdrawal symptoms. All the alcohol will have left your system by now, and your body will begin to bounce back. If you're not as focused on alcohol, you may be eating better, drinking water, moving more, and perhaps sleeping more deeply.
Depending on how much you drank, your starting weight, your age, and how you've treated diet and exercise since you stopped drinking, it's not uncommon to lose anywhere between 6-15 pounds after a month without alcohol.
Severe drinking may require three months to a year to fully regenerate the liver to its original capacity and functionality. Over time, the liver can heal itself from damages caused by alcoholic fatty liver disease and hepatitis. Unfortunately, when it comes to the scars of cirrhosis, these damages are irreversible.
After abstinence from alcohol for 2 to 3 weeks, hepatic steatosis completely resolves and liver biopsies appear normal when examined by electron microscopy.
Going sober for 7 months (235 days) comes with a lot of great benefits for myself including: Less anxiety, more energy, less brain fog, lower blood pressure, more productivity, more money and better social skills.
After Quitting: Your hair will regain its former strength as your body begins to repair itself from the effects of alcohol. The rate your hair grows will increase, and you'll notice the change from hair loss to fuller, shinier locks.
What does alcohol do to your hair? Alcohol and hair do not get along. Over time, alcohol use can cause dry, brittle, breaking hair, and cause excessive hair loss. The combination of dehydration and malnutrition makes it hard for your body to rebuild your hair and function at its best.
In general, you may start to experience physical benefits such as increased energy, reduced anxiety, and improved liver health. You might also notice positive changes in your personal life, such as improved relationships and more free time for hobbies.