This is because their skin is properly hydrated, less puffy and red, and there are fewer wrinkles and age spots. When you stop drinking for a significant period of time, your skin cells can rebound. Circulation also improves so the skin gets more nutrients and starts making collagen again. Through direct toxicity, oxygen deprivation, and weakened heart muscle, heavy alcohol consumption ultimately ages the heart and blood vessels from the inside out. Again, alcohol affects the skin and can Sober living house cause negative deterioration of various internal systems. When a person becomes a chronic drinker, the habit takes a toll on multiple organs within the body.
- Joy Manning, a Philadelphia-based freelance writer and creator of the Instagram account Better Without Booze, can also attest to the life-changing effects of sobriety.
- There was no consistent link between drinking and smoking and male pattern baldness, probably because your genetic predisposition and male hormone levels play a greater role in that, the researchers say.
- The exception is in cases of liver damage; skin conditions caused by a damaged liver may be permanent.
Alcohol and Aging Skin: How to Restore Your Glow After Years of Drinking
Over time, the cumulative effects of dehydration, nutrient depletion, and exposure to free radicals from alcohol can break down collagen and elastin fibers in the skin. These proteins are vital for maintaining skin elasticity and firmness. The breakdown of these fibers leads to sagging skin, deeper wrinkles, and an overall aged appearance. Alcohol is also a known vasodilator, causing blood vessels to temporarily expand and resulting in facial redness or flushing. With repeated vasodilation, these tiny blood vessels near the skin’s surface can become permanently widened or burst, appearing as visible broken capillaries, particularly on the cheeks and nose. Alcohol also increases the stress hormone cortisol, which contributes to fluid retention in facial tissues, often resulting in puffiness or swelling around the eyes.
Psoriasis and Other Skin Conditions
Also, it is essential to drink plenty of water so that dehydration is no longer an issue. Finally, it is essential to visit a medical professional so that tests can https://giveey.com/2020/01/23/understanding-alcohol-metabolism-how-your-body/ be run to examine certain organs and systems. For example, if a person experiences hair loss for a thyroid problem caused by drinking, this issue may be resolved when alcohol abuse ends. Regular consumption of alcohol can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, and an increased risk of stroke. These cardiovascular issues contribute not only to a shorter lifespan but also to physical signs of aging, such as a decrease in stamina, a pallor in the skin, and more pronounced veins. The stress on the heart and circulatory system accelerates the aging process, making the individual more susceptible to age-related health problems.
Susceptibility to damage
Alcohol may not only make you more likely to get sick as you age, it also can make common medical problems worse. Studies show that heavy drinkers can have a harder time with things like osteoporosis, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, ulcers, cancer, memory loss, and certain mood disorders. Every alcoholic drink goes “straight to your head,” or at least to your brain. Heavy drinking over a long time can shrink brain cells and lead to alcohol-related brain damage (ARBD) and certain types does alcohol make you look older of dementia. Symptoms of that include lack of judgment, organization, or emotional control, trouble staying focused, and anger issues.
