Can alcohol cause acne, how to improve skin condition

1. Causes of acne after drinking alcohol
2. Places where acne appears
3. How to cure acne
4. Allergy to alcohol

Even if your skin is perfect, a single dose of alcohol can lead to the formation of acne, rashes, and redness. Ethanol washes out collagen, vitamins A and E. After drinking alcohol, the skin becomes dull, dries out, and loses protection from the environment. The more often a person drinks, the higher the likelihood of rashes.

Why does acne occur?

Acne and pimples on the face, shoulders, back and other parts of the body appear for a reason. There are reasons for this. And the most popular are:

1. Heredity. If your parents had acne as a teenager or suffered from oily skin, the same thing awaits you.
2. Hormonal imbalance in adolescents . During adolescence, the body begins to produce hormones that were simply not there before. More skin secretion is produced, it becomes thick and clogs the ducts. This leads to inflammation. After all, a pimple is a real abscess in miniature.
3. Diseases of the digestive system . If the gastrointestinal tract cannot independently remove waste and toxins, the skin comes to their aid. This is a proven fact, which would be pointless to reject. A lot of dirt accumulates on the skin, and if hygiene is not maintained, it causes inflammation
4. Skin care disorders . This includes a complete lack of washing, neglect of hygiene rules, or too frequent use of gels and scrubs, which can greatly dry out the skin. The sebaceous glands try to produce many times more secretion in order to escape dryness. And this turns into the cause of acne.
5. Overexertion and impotence . Long hours of work, lack of rest and a disgusting mood are what make the body work literally to the point of wear and tear. And it’s not the heart that starts screaming for help, but the skin. And this happens due to weak immunity.
6. Unhealthy food . The point here is the increased production of insulin, which begins to provoke more than necessary production of the hormone testosterone. It also makes the sebaceous glands work twice as hard. This creates increased sebum secretion.

Acne is a disease. They call for careful diagnosis and treatment. This rule also applies if acne on the face appears as a result of drinking alcohol.

Treatment

First of all, you need to find out the reasons for the appearance of acne, and if they appear after drinking alcohol, do not drink. Be sure to get tested. Remove all allergenic foods from your diet:

• chocolate;
• coffee;
• citrus.

Most often, minor redness and pimples appear from beer. In this case, there may be several flaky patches on the face. Do not lubricate them with fatty creams. Sometimes you just need to wait and the defeat will go away on its own.

A few tips will help you avoid acne the morning after drinking:

1. Before drinking alcohol, eat some boiled rice, it will absorb and remove ethanol;
2. 3-4 hours after drinking alcohol, drink orange juice or take vitamin C, this way you will protect not only the skin, but also the liver;
3. During the feast and the day after, consume plenty of liquid. Better than pure or mineral water, this will help cope with dehydration, including the skin;
4. Even among experts, a simple popular advice received a good response - eat salty snacks. The sodium from the spice will actively prevent ethanol from penetrating the cell barrier. This will relieve both hangover and skin rashes;
5. If you're experiencing skin problems after a hectic weekend, consult a dermatologist. The doctor will determine the causes and recommend treatment;
6. Skin manifestations may pass quickly, but then reappear with greater force. It will become increasingly difficult to get rid of them.

Does alcohol affect acne?

Any alcohol is ethyl alcohol. Once it enters the body, it leads to poisoning. But alcohol itself is not as dangerous as its processed products. They can be called real poisons.

One such component is acetaldehyde . It appears in the liver during the breakdown of ethyl alcohol.

And then it turns into acetic acid. Acetaldehyde is the substance that has an irreversible effect on almost all organs and systems.

This often leads to diseases and pathological conditions such as:

1. High blood pressure , which can cause a stroke or heart attack.
2. Pain in the stomach and intestines , which will be a symptom of gastritis and ulcers with transition to the chronic stage.
3. Impotence , which is the cause of infertility.
4. Destruction of cells of the nervous system and brain , and this causes personality degradation, depression, mental disorders, and decreased intelligence.

But it is not yet possible to accurately answer the question of whether acne can be caused by alcohol. Conducted studies have not revealed this relationship.

But still, many women and men who have long left adolescence complain that acne appears on their face after drinking alcohol. And this fact cannot be denied.

Each organ of the human body reacts differently to ethyl alcohol and its breakdown products. Some may develop severe intoxication with a terrible morning hangover.

Others have nothing. And here it is the liver that plays a huge role, or rather, its ability to produce enzymes for breaking down alcohol.

Few people, no matter men or women, develop pimples and acne even from minimal doses of alcohol. For others, after drinking alcohol, acne will never appear on their face, despite the large amount they drink.

An additional provoking factor plays an important role here. This is the only way to explain how alcohol and acne on the face are connected.

Provoking factors can be very different. These include diseases of the stomach or intestines, liver diseases, heredity, and oily skin. It is very difficult to fight them on your own. This means that the risk of acne after drinking a glass of wine or a glass of beer increases several times.

Appearance of inflammation

Outwardly, such pimples resemble ordinary acne, which occurs due to skin contamination. However, the peculiarity of a rash due to alcohol is its depth.

Alcohol can cause two types of rash:

• Small, occupying a large area of ​​skin;
• Deeper acne, which is much less common on the body.

There are also those that have a certain amount of white liquid under their film. This indicates an inflammatory process occurring under the surface of the skin. This type of rash is the most dangerous because it has serious consequences.

If you start squeezing them out or simply tearing them off, this can lead to more serious inflammation and further infection.

Allergic reaction

Acne on the body after drinking alcohol can occur as a result of an allergic reaction. The main manifestation is a spotted red rash that appears almost everywhere.

Moreover, the allergy in this case is a response not to ethyl alcohol itself, but to some additives that may be in the bad drink. Most often these are dyes and preservatives. Today's wines usually suffer from such an unnatural composition.

But an allergy can also appear to high-quality alcohol if you drink it in large quantities.

Other symptoms of an allergy to beer, wine or vodka include:

• Dryness, irritation, peeling and cracking of the skin.
• Hives.
• Nausea or even vomiting.
• Increased blood pressure.
• Feeling drunk.

Alcohol allergies develop slowly. At the very beginning, a slight itching and slightly noticeable red spots appear. If you continue to drink alcohol, the spots begin to spread to other parts of the body.

The skin begins to peel, dehydrate, and crack. Infection easily penetrates into such skin. This is why acne appears after alcohol. Such acne becomes chronic and is very difficult to treat.

Effects on the skin

Many people believe that acne does not pose any danger and is only a cosmetic defect, worsening the appearance. Dermatologists advise to be more attentive to the condition of the skin. This is due to several reasons at the same time.

The appearance of acne itself can be associated with disruption of the internal organs, which suffer due to constant alcohol consumption. In particular, acne on the forehead signals a deplorable state of the intestines. This means that toxins have accumulated in its lumen in large quantities, which disrupt the composition of the microflora. Due to poisons, beneficial bacteria die, and pathogenic microbes take their place. As a result, a person develops a condition called dysbiosis. The disease is accompanied by the following symptoms:

• allergic rash on the body;
• deterioration of complexion;
• loss of appetite;
• bloating;
• heaviness;
• increased gas formation;
• alternating diarrhea and constipation.

Dysbacteriosis is not the only undesirable consequence of drinking. The changes will also affect the skin itself. The appearance can be spoiled for the rest of his life if the patient does not follow the rules of hygiene and the doctor’s recommendations. The most severe and dangerous complications can be seen in the photo.

Clogged pores are an excellent environment for bacteria, which quickly multiply and cause inflammation in soft tissues. If a person does not keep the problem area clean, then there is a high probability of these processes spreading to a larger area.

When the deeper layers of the skin are affected, boils are formed - large purulent foci, which are much more difficult to cure than ordinary acne. If the infection has spread widely, then relief measures may include surgical removal. After the operation there will be a scar that will be noticeable.

A person’s appearance is also spoiled by small scars that form when pimples are squeezed out.

Experts warn that mechanical exposure at home is extremely dangerous, since it is not possible to ensure complete sterility. Bacteria penetrate into the resulting wound, and inflammatory processes increase their intensity. In addition, there is a high risk of damage to nearby healthy tissues with strong pressure.

Why do acne appear after alcohol?

The main reason why acne appears on the face after alcohol is the inability to get rid of toxins and poisons quickly.

Pimples, especially internal and painful ones, can appear from sweets. However, most modern drinks - cocktails, wine, beer contain huge amounts of sugar. And together with alcohol, sugar causes increased insulin secretion. Insulin affects testosterone, which also begins to be released in large quantities. This negatively affects the functioning of the sebaceous glands.

Acne from alcohol can even appear from beer. Why?

The hop cones used to make malt contain phytoestrogens. Every time you drink a bottle of this drink, they accumulate in the body and gradually begin to affect the endocrine system. This provokes the appearance of acne.

What causes acne most often after drinking alcohol?

Does alcohol cause acne?

Yes, indeed, they can appear, but not always and not for everyone. The number of pimples and their severity will depend on the amount you drink, and, of course, on the individual characteristics of the body.

Dermatologists say that acne most often appears when drinking low-quality alcohol - beer, vodka, cocktails and other options with a large number of dyes and preservatives.

If you drink expensive and high-quality drinks, then the risk of acne on the face and other parts of the body is minimized.

Drinking good quality vintage wine once a week helps rid the body of free radicals. Also, the antioxidants included in the composition help remove toxins that, if accumulated, can harm the skin.

In moderate doses, good red wine helps regulate cholesterol levels, prevents blood stagnation in blood vessels, improves heart function, and normalizes the functioning of the stomach and intestines.

How to choose a good drink

Many people are afraid to drink beer because of its high carbohydrate content. Indeed, 100 grams of rye drink can contain up to 30 grams of carbohydrates, while a glass of white wine contains only 4 grams.

Therefore, if you want to drink a little alcohol, it is better to give preference to natural wine.

In people with impaired carbohydrate metabolism, acne can actually appear almost immediately after drinking beer.

Excess carbohydrates also lead to an increase in insulin levels, which is a powerful stimulator of the sebaceous glands.

If it is not possible to refuse a foamy drink, you must at least choose the safest variety for the skin.

If beer gives you acne, then change your usual drink to another. For example it could be:

1. Amstel (2.9 g);
2. Miller Light (3 g);
3. Kronenbourg 1664 blanc (4 g).

Regular light varieties contain 10-15 grams of carbohydrates, while strong dark varieties can contain up to 30% carbohydrates.

But in fact, the skin suffers not from the beer itself, but from snacks, which are usually consumed in addition to the foamy drink. Chips, crackers and fatty sausages are real “carbohydrate bombs”.

It is better to drink one glass of dark beer than to buy a low-carb drink and eat it with a lot of snacks.

Reviews, or what doctors say

According to reviews of dermatologists, alcohol and acne on the face are closely related. If you often drink alcoholic beverages, any kind at that, you can say goodbye to good health and beautiful, clean skin.

Not all people who drink alcoholic beverages claim that it gives them acne. But in most cases this is true. Therefore, not a single nutritionist will recommend that people with a predisposition to acne drink intoxicating drinks.

Some guys and girls, as well as older ladies and men, emphasize that their acne starts to appear the next day after drinking a bottle of beer. The skin becomes dry and loses its elasticity.

Closed pores appear and comedones become inflamed. This is associated with increased blood flow in the area of ​​the sebaceous glands, which causes alcohol.

Of course, giving up alcoholic gin, whiskey, rum or brandy once and for all is difficult. However, if your skin is prone to acne and pimples, you must adhere to a strictly defined dose and never exceed it.

Green tea, honey or milk helps reduce the effect of harmful toxic substances. The drugs Polysorb, Enterosorbent, Rehydron, and Atoxyl also have a good effect.

Author - Anna Mikhailova, dermatologist-cosmetologist of the first category, specialist at the Academy of Scientific Beauty. Especially for the site “Treating Acne”.