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.
Giving up alcohol will have a positive impact on your skin due to you having better levels of hydration. As more water will have been absorbed rather than wasted, you are likely to have more hydrated-looking skin, as well as reduced dandruff and eczema.
"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."
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.
Excessive alcohol intake can cause dehydration, which can prompt the body to retain water. In some cases, this may lead to water retention in the face, which can make the face appear bloated and puffy. Alcohol may also contribute to weight gain. It contains empty calories, which offer no nutritional benefit.
Effects of Alcohol on Skin and Aging
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.
Alcohol consumption leaves us dehydrated, which would be bad enough for our skin on its own. But in response to that dehydration, our bodies start retaining water, which causes puffiness and bloating that will accentuate the appearance of a double chin.
With on-time alcohol detox, you can get your health back on track. The skin will look younger, with fewer wrinkles, puffiness, and flare-ups. You will have an easier time losing weight and getting rid of the bad smell. Most importantly, you will give your eyes a new start.
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.
After abstinence from alcohol for 2 to 3 weeks, hepatic steatosis completely resolves and liver biopsies appear normal when examined by electron microscopy.
3-4 Weeks. At 3 weeks of not drinking, most drinkers have successfully reduced their risk of heart disease, including stroke, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. Their kidney health and even their vision may improve. For dependent drinkers, blood pressure may reduce to normal levels by the 3rd or 4th week.
For three months, alcoholics in recovery often report positive changes in their emotional state, career, finances, and personal relationships. These include but are not limited to: Feelings of depression and anxiety may subside. Critical thinking skills improve.
6 Months - Improved Focus
At this stage, you've continued to reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer. This is the point where some more intangible benefits start to appear. Some people find that their self-esteem improves and ability to be self-compassionate also increases (Collison et al., 2016).
If you ditch drinking for a month, it will significantly improve your overall health and well-being. You will be able to sleep better, feeling less fatigued and sluggish. Concentration and memory levels will increase as a result of better sleep and it's likely your mood and mental health will improve too.
Research has found that just four weeks without a drink can be enough to start lowering both blood pressure and heart rate. * Your risk of type 2 diabetes has already started to reduce (in one study insulin resistance came down by an average of 28 per cent) and your cholesterol levels should be starting to lower.
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.
The cravings will lessen in severity over time, but for some people, they will take several years to go away completely. For others, the cravings may never fully disappear, but hopefully these individuals learned relapse-prevention skills in rehab to help them withstand these episodes.
Heavy drinkers who suddenly decrease or stop drinking altogether may experience withdrawal symptoms. They are potentially dangerous and should be treated as a serious warning sign that you are drinking too much.
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.
Without alcohol in your life, you'll get better sleep, and wake up without a hangover. This can lead to more energy and productivity. You'll also experience long-term improvements in your health and reduced risk of alcohol-related conditions, like heart and liver complications.
Drink enough fluids every day
“Decreased body water content is the most common factor that increases serum sodium, which is why the results suggest that staying well hydrated may slow down the aging process and prevent or delay chronic disease.”
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.
The good news is that wine face is reversible. The first step is to take a short break from alcohol, ideally for three weeks or more, to allow your gut to rebalance. During this time, it's essential to drink plenty of water to help hydrate your skin.
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.
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'.