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.
Alcohol can also play a factor in the appearance of bags underneath your eyes. Alcohol also dehydrates your skin and your body, leading to irritation of the delicate skin around your eyes, causing them to appear dark and sunken.
Period - Within 24 hours
After 24 hours of no alcohol your blood sugar levels will normalise and any vision impairment will return to normal, banishing beer goggles.
'During the day, as we stand up and move about, the trapped fluids are released back into circulation, so the facial swelling reduces. 'After a period of time without alcohol, our blood vessels constrict, so less fluid will accumulate in the first place and skin will look less swollen after a night's rest. '
By giving your body a month-long break from drinking, you're allowing your skin to rehydrate and regenerate. The best part is that you don't have to wait an entire month to start seeing the changes. Most people who give up alcohol notice that their skin is dewy, and healthier looking after just one week.
After two weeks off alcohol, you will continue to reap the benefits of better sleep and hydration. As alcohol is an irritant to the stomach lining, after a fortnight you will also see a reduction in symptoms such as reflux where the stomach acid burns your throat.
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.
Swollen and Puffy Eyes
Alcohol also has an inflammatory effect on your body and is a diuretic making you lose water through your urine, which can cause swelling. Your eyes may also get puffy the day after drinking because alcohol causes tiny blood vessels to become a bit leaky.
Alcoholics can see improvements in red face symptoms in as little as two weeks [36]. The best way to reduce the effects of alcohol on the face is by reducing alcohol intake and increasing water intake to tackle dehydration, including dark circles and puffy/dry skin [37].
Although positive changes may appear earlier, 3 months of not drinking can not only improve your mood, energy, sleep, weight, skin health, immune health, and heart health. It can even reduce your risk of cancer.
3 – 7 days
In this time frame, symptoms may have reached their peak and could be gradually improving. You may start to feel relief, but still experience anxiety, trouble sleeping, racing thoughts, mental fatigue and alcohol cravings. It's normal for these symptoms to persist after one week sober.
Better Mental Health
For example, research indicates that people who stop drinking report improved stress levels, relationships, work performance, and self-confidence. 5 "These improvements can be observed not only in people who abstain from alcohol but in people who reduce heavy drinking," Dr. Volpicelli says.
Alcohol use
Although alcohol is a liquid, it dehydrates the body. When you are dehydrated, the skin under your eyes becomes flabby and weak, causing bags to form.
While puffy eyes alone do not necessarily indicate liver problems, other associated symptoms like jaundice, pain in the upper right abdomen, fatigue or nausea may be a sign of an underlying liver condition. You must speak with your doctor if you are experiencing any combination of puffy eyes and these other symptoms.
You Can Bounce Back—Within Reason
“If you do give it up, the good thing is that your skin, like any other organ, has the ability to regenerate. The body has a fabulous rate of rehydration. But that regeneration depends on how much damage has been done.
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.
The Benefits of Quitting Alcohol on the Skin.
Once it has resumed its full functions, the improvements become noticeable. The skin regains its radiance and imperfections tend to disappear. The body is once again able to provide the nutrients necessary for its health and to ensure its hydration.
The liver can develop new cells, but prolonged alcohol misuse (drinking too much) over many years can reduce its ability to regenerate.
As the collagen breaks down, the skin begins to sag and droop, creating permanent bags under the eyes unless they're removed.
Over time, excessive alcohol use can lead to the development of chronic diseases and other serious problems including: High blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, liver disease, and digestive problems.
Within a few weeks of quitting drinking, your hydrated skin will thank you with: Diminished puffiness. Reduced dryness. Fewer wrinkles.
You may find that you have more energy and your thinking is clearer, too. Lots of people describe this as 'the fog lifting'. You may find it easier to get up in the mornings and you'll be less prone to mood swings. By this time you've completed your first sober weekend – well done!
What do you mean by heavy drinking? For men, heavy drinking is typically defined as consuming 15 drinks or more per week. For women, heavy drinking is typically defined as consuming 8 drinks or more per week.