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To many people, alcohol is the lifeblood of fun. But what happens when this supposed lifeblood starts to age you? What happens when the source of your youthful fun suddenly sucks dry the youth from your face?
Alcohol can affect your skin in numerous ways, with common side effects like dehydration and drying out the skin. Alcohol can also accelerate the aging process, making you look much older than you are. If you’ve experienced these nasty side effects, here are some tips on how to repair alcohol-damaged skin.
Alcohol’s Effects on Skin
The skin, also called the epidermis, is the largest organ of the body. It protects all of your muscles, bones, organs, and more, acting as the ultimate shield from the outside world.
As with other organs, the skin can begin to wither when it’s not cared for properly, aging more quickly, drying out, and becoming weaker. Damaged skin is also more susceptible to bruises, cuts, discoloration, and even cancers.
Skin can even become saggier, which can make you look older. What’s more, because the skin is your inside’s barrier from the outside, when it’s weak enough, it can become infected and compromised, which can begin to affect your insides.
Alcohol skin damage is mainly the result of severe dehydration and immune suppression. Alcohol, while it may be a liquid, does not provide any sort of hydration.
On the contrary, dehydration is one of the most common and severe side effects of drinking. When your body lacks a certain amount of water, your skin becomes dry, cracked, scaly, and more susceptible to stretching and injury.
Years of drinking and neglect of your skin can cause irreversible damage that makes you look and feel older than you may be. Dehydration can also enlarge your pores, increasing your risk of developing whiteheads and blackheads.
The effects of alcohol on the skin also stem from immune suppression. Your immune system is responsible for protecting your body from and fighting disease and infection. However, drinking can impair immune response. Cuts, scrapes, or other injuries that are done to the skin may take longer to heal, which increases the likelihood of scarring and infection.
Tips to Repair Alcohol Damaged Skin
Hydration is the number one way to reverse alcohol skin damage and keep your skin nice and glowy. But in addition to lots of water, below are some additional ways to repair alcohol-damaged skin that can help:
- Exercise regularly: In addition to helping your physical and mental health, exercise also increases blood flow to the skin, helping it stay plump and healthy-looking. One of the ways you can repair alcohol-damaged skin is by exercising regularly and getting your sweat on.
- Add supplements to your diet: Alcohol can drain the body of vitamin A, which is essential for cell turnover. By taking this supplement daily, you can encourage cell regeneration that’s been inhibited by alcohol consumption. You can also take supplements that are meant to keep your skin, hair, and nails healthy, such as biotin. Other supplements that can help repair alcohol skin damage include vitamins B1, B6, B2, B3, C, E, and Omega 3.
- Drink non-alcohol alternatives: You don’t need alcohol to have fun. Known as a mocktail, another great way to have fun and keep your skin happy is by drinking non-alcoholic alternatives that don’t have any of the dehydrating properties.
- Have a skincare routine: If you couldn’t tell, we’re passionate about skincare, so if you don’t have a nightly routine set in place to care for your skin, then now is the time to start. Whether you have the skin of an alcoholic or not, this applies to you. Make sure to cleanse and moisturize your face to clear it of any bacteria and help soothe and hydrate it. This may not only reverse existing damage but also prevent it.
- Elevate your head when you sleep: Sleeping with your head slightly propped up can minimize eye and face puffiness. This is because fluids tend to pool in the under-eye area when you sleep with your head lying flat. Slight elevation can prevent fluid accumulation and puffiness in the face, particularly.
- Sleep with a silk pillowcase: Silk pillowcases absorb less moisture than cotton, so your skin stays more hydrated than if you were to sleep with a cotton pillowcase. Because satin is smoother than cotton, the skin glides over the fabric when you move around at night, preventing tugging and pulling that can cause wrinkles.
- Wear sunscreen every day: If it’s bright enough to read a newspaper, then it’s bright enough to cause skin damage. For this reason, one of the best ways to repair alcohol-damaged skin and prevent future damage from occurring is by wearing good sunscreen every day.
How We Can Help
While aging and skin problems are concerning on an aesthetic level, these are the least of an alcoholic’s concerns. Alcohol abuse can lead to other serious problems such as physical dependence, liver disease, heart disease, relationship problems, job loss, financial issues, and so much more.
Fortunately, our Pennsylvania rehab offers alcohol detox and addiction treatment that can help. One of the main benefits of alcohol detox is a cleanse from the inside out, which can help an individual heal in numerous ways.
All our forms of detox in PA are medically led to ensure that our clients are safe and healthy as they’re slowly weaned from drugs and alcohol. Our alcohol addiction treatment also incorporates various forms of psychotherapy to help clients disconnect from substance abuse emotionally as well as physically, making the recovery process easier.
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