Not ‘grinching’ on your xmas but……alcohol can wreak havoc on our skin, triggering rashes, dryness, even dull and lifeless skin.
It’s no secret Santa’s favourite colour is red. The suit, the rosy red cheeks…..he rocks red!
Those rosy cheeks however, are not from scaling chimneys Xmas eve, rather are more likely a result of imbibing in refreshments generously left out for him and his reindeers by grateful families in exchange for presents.
Fact: Santa has alcohol triggered Rosacea!
Like Santa it’s difficult to resist ‘cheering’ over the silly season but if you want to avoid Rudolphs’ glowing nose it might pay to moderate your alcohol intake and follow a few sensible ‘tippling tips’ this Xmas.
How does alcohol affect our skin?
Alcohol contains congeners, chemical substances produced during the fermentation process, which gives alcohol its unique taste, smell and colour.
Heads up! the darker the liquor the more congeners it contains and the greater kick to your hangover!
Not only are the congeners in alcohol affecting our skin, it ‘s the added sugars, salts and other impurities swirled together with those festive swizzle sticks mixing the perfect ‘molotov skin cocktail’!
If you booze your skin loses!
Alcohol…
- Dehydrates the skin by acting as a diuretic, making your kidneys work harder with increased trips to the toilet and giving the skin a dry,sallow appearance.
- Prevents important vitamins and minerals required for skin health from being absorbed. Specifically vitamins A and B are destroyed by alcohol.
- Is a vasodilator causing facial capillaries to dilate, giving the ruddy appearance Santa makes fashionable annually.
- Interrupts our REM sleep making us more likely to wake early, feeling tired.
- Increases our sugar/salt intake when adding mixers to drinks, creating systemic inflammation, skin ageing and the appearance of bloating.
- May cause acne by increasing insulin levels in the blood and inflammation in the body.
- Can trigger skin conditions such as psoriasis and rosacea
- Damages the liver, potentially leading to cirrhosis and jaundice – a yellow discolouration of the skin
Tips to keep you ‘drinking with the enemy’!
Maintain hydration and keep your fluids up!
Hydration is what keeps the cellular processes in our body functioning optimally. For every alcoholic drink your body expels 4 glasses of water! Its recommended to alternate every 1-2 alcoholic drinks with a glass of water.
Avoid carbonated drinks as the bubbles can hasten the effects of alcohol!
Drink moderately!
‘Drunk brides don’t look pretty’, kept me sober at my wedding….imagine you’re the bride, this will help you moderate your drinking!
Downsize the size of your drinks!
Replace those ‘2 handed wine buckets’ with a smaller glass …keep a free hand for food!
Resist topping up early!
Refill your glass only when empty
Enjoy those ‘devils on horseback’!
Xmas is as much about the food so dig in!
Food helps to slow down the absorption of alcohol!
Load up on foods with high water content such as watermelon!
Hit the rocks!
Pop some ice into your drinks, this will help to dilute your drinks and aid hydration
Alcohol and skin are definitely not besties but Xmas is a time for eating drinking and merrymaking so if you want your skin luminescent rather Rudolph red then stick to the plan ….hydration and moderation!
C’mon it’s time to get a little silly!
Merry Xmas and thank you to everybody for the wonderful support this past year! Keeping skincare simple is what ASkinSolutions is all about.I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my blogs as much as I’ve enjoyed writing them?
Ps; Dear Santa, ….It’s water for you this year!
ASkinSolutions x