Most people who give up alcohol notice that their skin is dewy, and healthier looking after just one week. By the end of Dry January, you're likely to see less swelling, clearer skin, and an overall healthy glow.
After Quitting: By replacing alcoholic drinks with plenty of water, you are allowing your skin to rehydrate and flush out toxins through urine and sweat. Your skin will regain its natural, healthy glow as you replenish the necessary vitamins and minerals lost from active addiction.
After 7 days, most drinkers will notice their skin hydration improve. If alcohol was triggering skin conditions, like rosacea, dandruff, or eczema, you could see them begin to improve by the end of the week. Within 3-7 days, withdrawal symptoms will stop for most dependent drinkers.
You look younger.
When your skin dries out, it becomes less elastic. As a result, you might look older and more wrinkled after just one night of heavy drinking. If you drink often, the effect is compounded. However, once you quit drinking, you start looking younger pretty quickly.
Alcohol can cause water retention in your face. This makes your face look bloated and puffy.
These side effects can have a lasting impact, lead to more wrinkles, and speed up your skin's aging process. Fortunately, your skin can bounce back from the effects of alcohol. By giving your body a month-long break from drinking, you're allowing your skin to rehydrate and regenerate.
The skin and vital organs retain whatever water they can - leaving the puffy face effect [11]. Heavy drinkers often appear to have a puffy face, resulting from "empty calories" in alcohol [2].
Can You Reverse Alcohol-Related Aging. You might not be able to fully reverse some of the effects of alcohol-related aging naturally. There are some things though that you can do to improve your overall health and well-being to counterbalance many of the effects of alcohol-related aging.
Your skin will begin to look younger and healthier within a few weeks of stopping drinking and may seem less pale and tired looking in as little as a few days. Over time, the collagen will return to your skin, reducing the appearance of wrinkles. If you've developed liver spots, these may fade over time.
For example, after just 24 hours of no alcohol, your blood sugar levels will normalise and blurred vision caused by alcohol intake will disappear. “The longer you abstain you may also notice your eyes become brighter and whiter, as your body counteracts damage/yellowing of the sclera – the white part of your eye.
In addition to all of these big changes above, you'll also experience less puffiness, less bloating, a slimmer appearance, clearer eyes, and smoother skin. Your smile will change as well, your dental health will improve because alcohol has a bad impact on dents, gum, breath, and oral hygiene.
You might find yourself in a better mood
Alcohol can ease emotions in the short term, but once the alcohol begins to wear off, it can actually create more anger, depression and anxiety. Plus, after three weeks without alcohol you will almost certainly be sleeping better, which also has mood-improving benefits.
Better overall health
As your body adjusts to a lack of alcohol, your blood pressure will likely drop and your liver will heal from any effects of heavy or binge drinking, says Dr. Peterson. You'll also likely experience less headaches, which can be brought on by dehydration from drinking.
Within a few weeks of quitting drinking, your hydrated skin will thank you with: Diminished puffiness. Reduced dryness. Fewer wrinkles.
However, even after years of chronic alcohol use, the liver has remarkable regenerative capacity and, after sustained cessation of drinking, can recover a significant amount of its original mass.
From sleeping better to boosting your immune system, there are some significant impacts that your body may experience by embarking on a booze-free journey. If you're not ready to completely give up your spirits, know that reducing your alcohol intake can also have major health benefits.
Alcohol dehydrates your body, including the skin – and this happens every time you drink. When you drink, the dehydrating (or 'diuretic') effect of alcohol means your skin loses fluid and nutrients that are vital for healthy-looking skin. This can make your skin look wrinkled, dull and grey, or bloated and puffy.
An increase from 10 units to 32 units per week was associated with the equivalent of 3 years of aging. However, the association between genetically-predicted alcohol consumption and telomere length was only significant for those drinking more than 17 units per week.
Añejo tequila must be aged for at least one year but no more than three years (after three years, it is considered an extra Añejo). Single malt scotch and Irish whiskeys must all be aged for a minimum of 3 years. Bourbon must be aged for at least 2 years to be considered straight bourbon.
If you are wondering how to treat a flush response to red face from alcohol, you should talk to your doctor. They may suggest trying medications called histamine-2 (H2) blockers to help control the development of a red face while drinking.
In cases of alcoholic gastritis (inflammation in the stomach lining), bloating can disappear in under 2 weeks. In chronic cases, it can last well over a month to even years, depending on how complex the health condition is, including whether the patient plans to stop drinking.
Rehydrate with a face mask
We recommend a mask that contains hyaluronic acid, a substance that our skin cells produce naturally. It tops up the skin's hydration levels and acts as a magnet for moisture. Apply the mask, lie back, relax and allow the hyaluronic acid to revive your tired and dehydrated hangover skin.
Maintaining healthy habits like drinking water, quitting tobacco, reducing alcohol use, taking care of your skin and avoiding unnecessary exposure to the sun can make a noticeable difference in the appearance of under-eye bags.