Can Alcohol Ruin Your Skin??
Most of us enjoy a little tipple every now and then, whether it’s celebrating the end of the week at the bar on a Friday night, enjoying a champagne brunch at the weekend, or sipping a warming nightcap to help you drift off to sleep, and we don’t tend to think anything of it. Light and moderate drinking is an accepted social norm so many people don’t think it can have much of an effect, but it does, particularly on your skin. After a night out, have you ever noticed that your eyesand lips especially look dull, dry, and tired? That is a direct result of alcohol consumption, and it shows just how quickly your skin can be affected by how you treat your body. Sadly, alcohol can make us look old before our age, so we really need to take the time to look after our skin to keep it young, healthy, and fresh.Drinking plenty of water after much alcohol consumption can quickly aid to flush out the toxins of alcohol. What about the skin? Give your skin a good mask using the Arnica and Calendula healing mask and spritz your skin often using the Rose Spritz. This will help to brighten up your skin and replace moisture.
Alcohol as a Diuretic
As you’ll probably know, alcohol is a diuretic, which means that it encourages the excretion of fluids from the body (which is why you need to use the toilet more when you’ve been drinking at the bar). Along with caffeine, alcohol is one of the most effective natural diuretics, and it can reduce the water levels in the body by up to 32 percent. Water is an essential nutrient for the body as it keeps organs functioning to the best of their ability. Skin is the largest organ in the human body, so it relies heavily upon hydration to maintain health. Water is used to build up and maintain a barrier that acts as a way of regulating the amount of water that is absorbed by the skin, and the amount that is released as sweat, but dehydration caused by alcohol consumption can break down this barrier. This can prevent water from being absorbed, and can also increase the amount of fluid that is secreted from the body. It’s in these cases that the skin really starts to suffer, and it begins to dry out, producing wrinkles and losing elasticity. Think about the transformation of a grape to a raisin! It’s exactly the same. If you don’t want to look raisin-esque, it’s time to start taking better care of your skin.Increased Risk of Psoriasis
While dry skin is easily treatable and reversible, alcohol can also cause more severe skin complaints that are much more challenging to cure. Psoriasis is one such condition, and although the exact cause and relation to alcohol consumption isn’t fully understood, it is widely believed that alcohol suppresses the immune system, which causes the body to overcompensate by producing new skin cells within days, rather than months. The circle of cell production and cell death becomes more rapid, and people suffer with red, dry, itchy, and somewhat painful flaky skin. While it is thought that psoriasis is more common amongst heavy drinkers than light drinkers, this condition, and other skin conditions, is a very real risk if light or moderate drinkers don’t take adequate care of their skin.A table spoon of Organic coconut oil first thing in the morning, after lunch and before bed will help to better moisturize the skin from the inside. Keep your healing balm handy too as this will be your best friend during these times.
Alcohol Addiction Recovery
Unfortunately, it’s not only current drinkers that suffer with the aesthetic effects of alcohol consumption. Even those in alcohol addiction recovery can present with problematic skin, especially if they’re taking medications such as disulfiram as part of their treatment. Disulfiram is considered to be very safe and it can work wonders in helping people control their cravings for alcohol and other drugs, but one of the most common side effects of the medication is dry skin and subsequent skin rashes or widespread acne. Although it’s not known why this occurs, some researchers have suggested that these drugs cause a temperature increase in the body that can cause facial flushing, and can dry the skin out (much like the heat would when you’re on a sunny vacation), leaving it vulnerable to dermatitis. It’s recommended that people suffering with skin conditions as a result of alcohol addiction recovery drugs chat to their doctor as it may be that the dosage needs to be lowered.Take Preventative Measures
If you’re worrying that the only way you can protect your skin from the effects of alcohol is to give up your well-deserved glass of wine at the end of the week, don’t panic! You don’t need to go teetotal to see an improvement in your skin; you just need to take greater measures that go some way towards counteracting the effects. These measures include keeping your skin well hydrated from both the inside and the outside by drinking lots of water (some professionals recommend 8 x 8oz glasses of water every 24 hours), and moisturizing twice daily using any of Marina’s Ambrosia raw cream moisturizer or the popular Organic All Over as they don’t contain any irritants such as fragrances, mineral oils and chemicals. Of course, the best thing for your skin is to stay as natural as possible; the absolutely Pure Mineral Make up at Marina’s Ambrosia not only covers your blemishes but treats, heals and allows your skin to breath. You don’t have to leave the house au natural! If you wouldn’t dare face the world without a bit of slap, Marina’s Ambrosia products are all made from plant extracts and natural minerals which actually help your skin, rather than hinder it. 
Lisa Hawksley for Marina’s Ambrosia
