How Excess Intake of Alcohol Can Cause Skin Problems

Around 5% of individuals in the United States drink heavily, and while the consequences of alcohol misuse to your liver, heart and other organs are well-known, you may be unaware of the effects of heavy drinking on your skin. 

Excessive alcohol consumption has a negative impact on your skin’s look, as well as worsening pre-existing skin conditions and leaving you exposed to health-threatening skin diseases. 

Since the effects of alcohol on the skin usually appear long before permanent organ damage, identifying the impact of too much alcohol intake on your skin may help you change your drinking habits.

In fact, the medical alcohol detoxification facility, Gallus Detox, also prioritizes the impact of drinking alcohol on one’s skin, and that deserves our attention. 

Alcohol Intake And Red Face

Many of us have the mental image of someone who drinks heavily having a red face, and there is some truth to this.

When you drink alcohol, your blood vessels widen, allowing more blood to flow along the surface of your skin and giving your face a red glow. Some people, however, are more prone to facial flushing because they are unable to process alcohol effectively due to a genetic mutation. 

This not only causes a change in their complexion but also causes them to feel dizzy and develop nausea, palpitations, and vomiting from even small amounts of alcohol.

However, the link between alcohol and complexion isn’t simply temporary; when you consume high amounts of alcohol daily, spider veins grow on your skin’s surface. 

With alcohol, these unattractive veins aren’t only restricted to your nose and cheeks; they also appear on your stomach, chest, arms, and hands. While alcohol can cause these skin changes directly, it can indirectly contribute to the appearance of additional veins if you drink to the point where your liver is damaged.

Your veins become leaky due to the damage caused by alcohol misuse, causing your face and other regions of your skin to seem puffy.

Excessive Alcohol Intake Can Cause Dry Skin

Caffeine and alcohol consumption increase the risk of dry skin, although a daily coffee habit has less impact than heavy drinking, as alcohol has a larger diuretic effect, putting you at greater risk of dehydration.

When you’re dehydrated on the inside, your skin has less water to moisturize it, resulting in rough, flaky skin that’s more prone to irritation and itching. 

By alternating alcoholic beverages with water or a caffeine-free soft drink, you can avoid dehydration, which means you’ll be less likely to experience the effects of the steroids or your drinking the next day. This is another reason why detoxing from alcohol is important. 

Alcohol is a Major Contributor Of Skin Ageing 

Although it is commonly known that smoking causes accelerated skin ageing, you may not be aware that heavy alcohol use also puts you at risk for wrinkles. This is partly because dehydrated skin is more prone to fine lines and creases; thus, soft drinks should be consumed alongside alcoholic beverages.

There’s also a link between drinking and wrinkles because alcohol produces free radicals, which can harm your skin’s structure and make it more susceptible to the lining. 

This may come as a surprise to you, as moderate drinking, especially red wine, is generally touted as a heart-healthy beverage due to its antioxidant content. 

The discrepancy arises because alcohol functions as a pro-oxidant, generating free radicals rather than mitigating their effects at larger doses.

Heavy Drinking Causes Nutrition Deficit In Your Skin

Your skin’s health is just as reliant on a steady supply of vitamins and minerals as any other part of your body. Unfortunately, when you get addicted to alcohol, your nutritional intake suffers, putting you at risk for micronutrient deficiencies, which can occur due to a poor diet or impaired nutrient uptake and metabolism.

For example, if you ignore your diet and focus less on fruits and vegetables, you’re likely to be deficient in vitamin C, which is necessary for creating collagen, the protein that keeps your skin smooth. 

Alcohol also prevents fat-soluble vitamins A and E from being absorbed, which both serve to protect your skin from harm. 

Meanwhile, the skin can suffer from the alcohol impacts because alcohol depletes Vitamin B levels, which are necessary for good circulation and the delivery of additional nutrients to the skin.

Alcohol And Bruising

There are other reasons why you bruise more readily when you frequently drink, aside from the extra blows you may receive while under the influence of alcohol. This is most often a problem for heavy drinkers, and it has everything to do with the nutritional effects of alcohol. 

There is proven evidence that alcoholics can have widespread bruising due to scurvy, which is caused by a severe vitamin C deficiency.

Bruising occurs when your blood vessels become frail and easily damaged due to a lack of vitamin C to stimulate collagen development, causing blood to accumulate beneath your skin. 

Similarly, a vitamin K shortage required for blood clotting can make you more prone to bruising.

Alcohol And Skin Infections

Alcohol can harm your immune system directly, but it can also damage it indirectly if you have vitamin C and zinc deficiencies, which help keep your immune system strong.

Another issue with alcohol and your skin is that it can exacerbate existing skin diseases, which is especially true with rosacea and psoriasis. 

Rosacea affects around 16 million Americans and is characterized by redness on the cheeks, chin, forehead, nose, ears, scalp, and chest. Because rosacea causes blood vessels to form over time, it’s no surprise that alcohol can aggravate the condition.

People typically find that red wine is the most likely to cause flare-ups. However, a single glass can frequently be enough to cause symptoms, so abstaining from alcohol may be necessary to avoid long-term skin abnormalities.

Meanwhile, psoriasis affects around 7 million people in the United States, manifesting as raised, red scaly regions on the face, scalp, elbows, palms, back, knees, and soles. Psoriasis skin rash is typically worse in males who drink heavily, limiting treatment effectiveness. 

As you might assume, given the link between alcohol and psoriasis, the skin condition is more common among alcoholics, and establishing abstinence can help to alleviate symptoms.

Eat Healthy and Stay Healthy!!!

There you go.

We have talked about all possible health drawbacks of alcohol and how it can impact your skin health.

Hence, it’s time you reduce your alcohol intake or abstain from it, if possible. 

If you want our help, we are ready to share our resources with you. For further information, let us know in the comment box.