May. 02, 2020
Why "Dry January" is good for your skin
Now Christmas holidays are over and you’re done with all the alcoholic parties, you are probably curious about the effect of all these alcoholic drinks on your skin. We all know that excessive drinking has many downsides for our overall health but what exactly are the effects of alcohol on your skin? Is alcohol really as bad for the skin as sometimes said? In this blog we explain you why going alcohol-free in January (or any other month) can help get your skin back on track.
THE MAJOR DISADVANTAGES OF ALCOHOL FOR YOUR SKIN
1. Sleep disturbance
Alcohol may disrupt our ‘body-clock’, making it hard to sleep during the night. This can be disadvantageous for our skin as the sleeping phase is crucial for our body and skin to recharge. When we sleep, our body and mind recharge. Physiological changes occur: our body temperature and blood pressure drop, our breathing slows down and our body produces hormones. Each in their own way stimulate the recovery and regeneration of the skin. Read more about this topic in this blog.
2. Dehydration
Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it will force water out of the body. After drinking, a disturbed moisture balance arises and vitamins and minerals are withdrawn from the body. The body will even have difficulties getting rehydrated afterwards. This disturbed balance will not only cause headache (hangover), it also leads to a dehydrated skin. Considering that hydration is one of the most important factors for a healthy and glowing skin, dehydration will cause fine lines and wrinkles to be more visible due to the lack of water. Therefore, it is important to drink lots of water to restore the water balance.
Prolonged drinking can lead to chronic dehydration and disruption of the skin barrier’s function.
3. Pimples and breakouts
A common problem of drinking - directly related to the sugars and carbohydrates found in alcoholic drinks - is the occurrence of pimples and breakouts. Increased blood sugar and insulin levels lead to a higher androgen production. This imbalance in hormone levels may influence the sebum production of the skin and lead to pimple breakouts. One drink will not cause acne breakouts but frequently drinking may influence acne, mainly for young people.
4. Skin flushing and redness
Alcohol works as a vasodilator, meaning it affects the blood vessels in the skin. Blood vessels dilate (widen) and result in facial redness. What initially looks like innocent ‘flushing’, frequent alcohol consumption might result in persistent redness that, when left untreated, progresses into a (serious) skin condition such as rosacea. A skin condition you can’t get easily away from…
Conclusion
Although everyone’s skin will react differently to alcohol, unfortunately we can conclude that alcohol is bad for every skin. As explained above, alcohol negatively influences the skin based on different mechanisms. Of course, we should not exaggerate the fact that alcohol is bad for your skin! An occasional drink will not cause serious damage to your skin. It is only when you consume alcohol for a long time or in large quantities that the skin actually suffers damage. As with many things in life, you should find the right balance…
Alcohol & Nomige
We check both your genetic profile and lifestyle to select the right ingredients for your skin profile.
Alcohol is one of these lifestyle factors that strongly influences your skin condition. By completing a Lifestyle Test, we can discover which product suits your lifestyle at this moment in time.
Nomige day cream is also called 'Lifestyle cream' because it is tailored to your lifestyle. Each Lifestyle creams has it's own specific ingredients. By doing the Lifestyle Test, we can define which one suits your lifestyle.
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