Did you know alcohol can impact your skin? Here, we take a closer look at exactly what happens to your skin - both when you drink alcohol and when you apply it topically through skincare products.

Drinking alcohol can contribute to temporary dehydration, redness and puffiness and may create longer-term skin issues like inflammation, impaired barrier function and visible ageing. Applying alcohol-based products can also alter your skin barrier, leaving it tight, red, and irritated.

Dehydration and skin barrier disruption

Drinking alcohol, has a diuretic effect, increasing fluid loss through urine. This can lead to dehydration and for the skin, may result in your complexion looking dull, and feeling tight. When the skin lacks moisture, you may also notice temporary, superficial fine lines appearing.

Chronically dehydrated skin may result in a compromised skin barrier which is a protective supportive layer and vital to a healthy skin. Continued tightness, irritation, flaky or reactive skin may be indicators of a disrupted or sensitised barrier.

Applying alcohol-based products which contain ingredients like SD alcohol, denatured alcohol or isopropyl alcohol can impact your protective barrier causing irritation and dehydration. Using these ingredients can also create a cycle of increased oil production – the more you strip, the more your oil glands produce to compensate, leaving your skin oilier than before and with the potential bonus of blemishes.

Flushing and Redness

Alcohol has the effect of vasodilation – the widening your blood vessels. This may cause flushing or redness and if you are prone to sensitivity or rosacea, alcohol can act as a trigger, increasing skin warmth and visible redness.

Exacerbates Existing Skin Conditions

Alcohol may trigger existing skin conditions like dermatitis, rosacea and acne by increasing the inflammatory pathways in the body and skin.

Free Radicals

Oxidative stress is an imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants in your body. Free radicals are oxygen-containing molecules with an uneven number of electrons which can cause chemical reactions in your body because they react easily with other molecules. When the body metabolises alcohol, it can generate reactive molecules that contribute to oxidative stress. Over time, this increased stress can disturb our barrier stratum corneum lipids, breaking it down which can lead to increased skin sensitisation, inflammation and inflammatory ageing.

Disturbed Sleep

Sleep is the time when your body repairs itself including the skin. Sleeping increases your skin's blood flow, helps to rebuild collagen and repairs damage. Alcohol is known to disrupt our sleep pattern which inhibits important recovery and repair processes.

How to Support Your Skin Health

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