Alcohol and Facial Flushing

Perhaps the most commonly associated trait of a heavy drinker is facial flushing, or a red face. Among some individuals, this is just a rosiness to the cheeks, and it might just look like blushing. Among others, however, it can be a bright red complexion that looks worrying.

Alcohol causes facial flushing by dilating the blood vessels. When this happens, blood can travel closer to the surface of the skin, giving drinkers a red, rosy appearance. Over time, however, this redness can worsen because red spider veins develop on the face, hands and neck. These spider veins aren’t just unsightly, as they can be a sign of liver damage.

Alcohol Can Create Dry, Flaky Skin

Alcohol is a natural diuretic, which means that it encourages liquid to leave the body. Excessive drinking, therefore, can cause extreme dehydration. This is what, in part, leads to the discomfort of hangovers after heavy drinking.

Extreme dehydration, particularly when experienced on a regular basis, can impact the body in many ways. In terms of outward appearance, dehydration leads to dry skin. A heavy drinker might have dry skin that itches, or skin that flakes off. Although moisturizers can help to treat dehydrated, dry skin, abstaining from alcohol and consuming more non-alcoholic liquids will typically be the best form of treatment.

Nutritional Deficiencies Leading to Skin Issues

Alcoholism is often accompanied by a poor diet. Those who drink large amounts of alcohol on a regular basis are far less likely to be consuming healthy diets filled with the necessary vitamins and minerals. Even if individuals are eating a healthy diet, too much alcohol can compromise the absorption of those vitamins.

B Vitamins, for example, are depleted when the body tries to metabolize excess amounts of alcohol. Lowered B Vitamins in the body, however, mean that the circulation system may not be able to deliver the right nutrients to the skin. Similarly, alcohol interrupts the proper absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, impacting the appearance and suppleness of skin.

Skin Infections Resulting from Excess Alcohol Consumption

Skin infections are more common among those individuals who consume excess amounts of alcohol. This can occur because of a lowered immune system, which can allow bacterial and fungal infections to easily take hold.

A lowered immune system happens for several reasons, one of which is because the body has to work harder to metabolize large amounts of alcohol. Excess alcohol consumption also inhibits the absorption of Vitamin C and zinc, both of which are integral to the immune system and the body’s ability to resist skin infections.

How Alcohol Impacts Bruising

Those who are addicted to alcohol, or even those who are heavy drinkers, can experience an increase in bruising. This happens for several different reasons. The first is simply because accidents are more common, and reaction times slower, when under the influence.

Nutritional deficiencies like a lack of Vitamin C can also cause scurvy, which leads to extensive bruising. This can happen because the blood vessels under the skin are weaker, and blood can actually pool behind the skin and result in visible bruising. Individuals who drink large amounts of alcohol may also have a Vitamin K deficiency. This can, in turn, slow down the clotting of blood, making bruises more likely as well as more pronounced.

Alcohol and the Increased Risk of Skin Cancer

Alcoholism and cancer are closely linked, but excessive alcohol consumption tends to be tied to cancers of the digestive system or the mouth rather than skin. However, evidence clearly reveals that heavy drinking increases the likelihood of skin cancer over a lifetime. There are multiple theories about why this is the case, with the strongest relating to spending more time in the sun. Damaged skin may be more susceptible to harsh UV rays from the sun.

Premature Aging Due to Excess Alcohol Consumption

With so many serious, life-threatening side effects of excessive alcohol consumption, premature aging may not seem like a strong deterrent against drinking. However, many individuals are concerned with their appearance, and learning how alcohol can speed up the outward signs of aging might discourage them from heavy drinking in the future.

Premature aging is a direct result of dehydration, particularly over long periods of time. Why? Because dehydrated skin is far more likely to crease and wrinkle than hydrated skin. On a deeper level, excess alcohol consumption generates free radicals, causing the creation of fine lines and wrinkles. Antioxidants can help to fight free radicals, but it is nearly impossible to combat free radicals and premature aging when it’s caused by alcoholism or even periodic binge drinking.

Alcohol, Jaundice and Spotting it on the Skin

In modern times, jaundice is most commonly associated with newborns. However, individuals who have a history of alcohol abuse can also become victims of jaundice. The ailment is caused by alcoholic liver damage, which means that the liver is no longer able to properly metabolize alcohol.

Jaundice can lead to complete liver failure, so it’s important to seek medical attention if it’s noticed. Jaundice can often be spotted easily because it causes a yellow tinge to the skin. Heavy drinkers who notice yellowing skin need to take action right away to prevent further liver damage and health concerns.

Alcohol can affect the human body, including the skin, in many ways. Excessive alcohol consumption can lead to increased bruising, yellowing skin, facial flushing, premature aging, infections to the skin, dry skin and many more problems that might serve as a deterrent against heavy drinking. In the end, it’s wise to break free from alcohol addiction in order to return your skin to a healthy condition.

Links Between Alcohol And Skin Problems That Aren’t So Serious

Drinking alcohol doesn’t always cause serious harm to the skin, but alcohol will always affect how the skin looks no matter how much a person drinks. In moderation, alcohol will have only the slightest effect on the skin and the effects will usually go away once alcohol has left the system.

The connection between alcohol and skin problems are close. In most cases, drinking alcohol will cause the skin to redden. When alcohol is introduced to the body, blood vessels will dilate and open up blood flow to underneath the skin’s surface. Moderate drinkers will have the reddening effect go away quickly. People who have problems with rosacea, a permanent redness of the skin, are going to have a harder time hiding it when they start drinking. Habitual drinkers will also start getting spider veins across their nose, cheeks, arms, chest, hands, and stomach from the continued expansion of blood vessels, which can make someone look older.

Skin also looks older with regular alcohol intake because it dries out the skin. Habitual drinking can cause dehydration, which will keep the skin from getting the moisture that it needs. Without that moisture, wrinkles are going to appear at a faster rate.

Regular drinking can also cause the skin to bruise more easily. Excessive drinking can lead to deficiencies in the vitamins C and K, both of which are necessary to prevent bruising and heal the skin correctly. While it may not make someone anemic or cause them to pick up any blood disorders, it can exacerbate those problems if a drinker were to have them.

Serious Skin Damage Linked To Alcohol Intake

Drinking alcohol on a near daily basis can cause some serious skin damage, especially if the habitual drinking has been going on for a while. This skin damage won’t disappear once alcohol leaves the system either. People who continuously drink could suffer with the toll that is taken on the skin for the rest of their lives. Some of that damage not only looks bad, but it can also cause serious health issues.

Often, people who have a heavy alcohol intake open their skin up to more infections. This is partially due to how dry the skin becomes, as dry skin is going to be more prone to cracking and breaking, which will lead to a higher likelihood of infection. In addition, drinking can decrease immune system function, so regular drinking can alter how well the system works and how the body heals itself. Since the body can’t heal properly and the skin breaks so easily, some, if not many, skin infections are likely to occur.

Regular drinking can also increase someone’s chances of developing skin cancer. Having dry, cracked skin can make the body more susceptible to the sun’s rays. Since the skin is already damaged, the sun can damage it even more and lead to cancer that otherwise wouldn’t have been there. While the increased odds of skin cancer isn’t high, it’s still something that regular drinkers need to worry about.

Yellowing skin can also happen with excessive drinking habits. If that happens, odds are that the person is developing jaundice, which means that the liver is starting to fail. Anyone noticing a yellowing of their skin needs to seek the help of a doctor immediately.

The Best Way To Deal With Alcohol-Based Skin Problems

The best way to combat current and possible skin damage caused by alcohol consumption is to stop drinking. Although that might not be a problem for some people, those who are addicted to alcohol are going to have a significant problem quitting. There are ways for those dealing with alcohol addiction to get help and move away from the damaging substance. Going through alcohol rehab is the most effective option.

People who deal with addiction often have past experiences that play a role in why they started the habit. Therapists at the treatment center can work through the pain of those past experiences and help people move on from them. As they turn away from those moments, people struggling with addiction will learn how to deal with other life stresses without relying on alcohol. That involves learning different types of coping mechanisms in order to survive day-to-day life without relapsing.

As they work through treatment, some of the skin problems are going to start clearing up. For major skin problems, however, talking with a doctor might be necessary. Not only can they assess how bad the damage has become, they can also prescribe medications that will help with bruising, redness, and other issues. While it’s possible that the damage isn’t reversible, skin problems can be managed with daily maintenance and professional care.

Even Skin That’s Been Damaged By Alcohol Abuse Can Look Good Again

The skin will look worn, dry, and tired if someone’s been addicted to alcohol for a really long time. The damage done can cause lasting health problems that could ultimately be dangerous or life-threatening. While some people can’t reverse that damage, others can make their skin look good despite the abuse with professional help. All they have to do is reach out for it.

The good news is that the skin will tell you when the body is struggling with alcohol. If individuals pay attention to those visible signs, they can take the steps they need to stop addictive habits. Then they can go back to having healthy, hydrated skin that won’t crack or cause them to become sick.