How Alcohol Affects the Skin

August  is the month of inspiration and  feeling uplifted.  We are out in the sun,  hanging out with friends, sitting on patios and going to parties and family gatherings, and if we are lucky, a cottage or two. 

Sometimes. . . we may find ourselves consuming just a littttlllleee bit too much alcohol.   

While consuming most things in moderation tends to be ok for most people, when alcohol consumption goes up in the summer, you may begin to notice the negative effects on the skin.

Alcohol massively dehydrates the skin.  When we are out in the sun and the weather is hot, we lose vital hydration at super speeds.   Heat from the sun and sweating results in evaporated trans epidermal water.   So while your mind and body may be slowing down, relaxed and carefree – your skin could be working overtime to keep itself in balance.

Alcohol is also high in sugars – “light” drinks have sugar too, so don’t be fooled.  Even small amounts of sugar in your diet can cause a process called “glycation”.  Glycation is when sugar molecules bombard the body’s cells and attach onto fats and proteins.  This forms advanced glycation end products (shortened, appropriately, to AGEs), which cause protein fibers to become stiff and malformed.   Excess damaged from glycation can make your skin look cross hatched like a window screen.  But even slight glycation can cause dryness, thicker skin and premature aging.  Yikes!

While we would never be so bold to tell you not to drink alcohol – we can help you counteract the effects of booze with some simple diet and topical tricks.

Let’s dive into the top four topical solutions to balance out our boozy bevies:

First,

(and maybe most obvious)  Drink lots of water.  If possible alternate between alcoholic beverages and water.    If you can get your hands on alkaline water it may help to lessen the acidity of liquor and let the water penetrate more of your cells.  

Second,

Use a hydrating toner throughout the day.  Keep a small glass spray bottle with some hydrating toner in your bag, carry on or satchel.  Spray throughout the day!  Our favorite is the Eminence Stone Crop Hydrating toner.  Toner will add water to your skin and counteract some of the dehydration alcohol causes.

Third,

Wear an spf high in antioxidants.  Good  sunscreens these days do double duty.  You can find sunscreen that is also chalk full of nourishing and  plumping ingredients.  We love Eminence Tropical Vanilla Day Cream for our triple threat daily spf.  It will keep the skin hydrated, it’s full of free radical fighting antioxidants and it has a mineral based spf of 30.  

Lastly,

Use a serum to defeat AGE’s.  Look for these  ingredients in your serum, (and apply twice daily):  peptides, Vitamin C, Tara  tree, licorice root, pomegranate.     Our #1 Glycation fighter product, hands down, is Eminence Organics C+E Citrus and Kale Serum.   

Now let’s look at some lifestyle options for preventing dehydration and damage alcohol causes  the skin, 

1. Use a dietary supplement.   There are so many wonderful dietary supplements you can put in your coffee or smoothies now!  Although our vote is to skip the coffee when you know you’re going to be drinking and opt for herbal tea and a tablespoon of a collagen powder with antioxidants.  Try our new Aura powders.  We specifically bring these in in the summer so you have what we call a  “skincare crime fighter” in  your  back pocket.  

2. Eat foods low in sugar and high in water.  Instead of snacking on processed  foods and lots of fruit while drinking, opt for veg like cucumber or peppers.   Nuts, seeds, and whole grains can slow down glycation, reduce the production of AGEs in the bloodstream, and help to protect skin cells from damage as  well.  

3. Studies have shown exercise puts the brakes on glycation.  Try to introduce some form of movement when you’re enjoying a drink or two.  It can feel really easy to just park yourself on a muskoka chair and chill out, but try to get up and walk around every 15-20 minutes, swim or play some type of physical game with others.   Dancing is a great form of exercise too! So crank the tunes and get jiggy with it.   To help you along we have created a summer vibes playlist to get you out of that chair,  moving to the music and hopefully giving the finger to AGE’s. Click here to listen and add to your music.  

One of our favorite words at  Wild Flower is BALANCE.  We all want to be as healthy as possible – but we also want to be able to enjoy some. . .  not so healthy things from time to time.   Hopefully we have given you some good tips to do just that.

Remember  folks!  Enjoy responsibly,  never drink and drive and always listen to your esthetician;)

Have fun this summer and be safe!

XO

Alexis

Photo by SKYLAKE STUDIO on Unsplash