Remember when we were told drinking alcohol was good for the heart? Well, that information has been revised and new evidence on the harmful effects of drinking have emerged.
We are now being warned there may be a link between too much alcohol consumption and a range of cancers and other illnesses. Of course, we have been led to assume that the less you drink, the lower the risk to your health, but some studies now suggest there is no safe Drinking level.
Drinking and your looks
And, what about the effects of drinking on your physical appearance? Typically after one or two too many last night your headaches, you feel queasy and you're hungover.
Then you check yourself out in the mirror and you look terrible because your face and eyes are now red and puffy.
According to Paula Simpson, co-founder of Zea Skin Solutions, alcohol can cause bloating in the body and face because gas gets trapped in your digestive system causing pressure to build in your stomach. Tiny blood vessels on the eye surface become red and inflamed causing them to become bloodshot. Not the best look for most people.
Drinking guidelines
Of course, the only way to prevent your face from bloating is to limit the amount of booze you consume. The guideline one drink a day for women and two for men is still the best one to follow, especially in light of these new findings.
It's important to remember that drinking too quickly on any single occasion increases your risk of accidents resulting in injury. Under the influence of alcohol, it is common to misjudge risky situations, and in many cases losing your self-control.
To help prevent these dangerous situations from happening to you, you should limit the amount of liquor you drink in a single session, drink more slowly, drink with food, and alternate with water or non-alcoholic drinks.
Risk of dehydration
If you find yourself waking up with puffy skin after a night out drinking then that means your skin is dehydrated and inflamed. The diuretic effects of alcohol tell your body it should hold onto more water weight, causing fluid retention, which leads to puffiness the next day.
Sadly, things actually get worse.Too much booze on a consistent basis can suppress your skin's natural protective mechanisms, leaving you more susceptible than most to UV Damage and sunburns.
Too much alcohol on a consistent basis
Too much booze on a consistent basis can suppress your skin's natural protective mechanisms leaving you more susceptible than most to UV damage and sunburns. Inflammatory skin conditions like rosacea and psoriasis are also effects of too much drinking.
Simpson suggests applying cold tea bags of green tea to your eyes to relieve redness and bloating because it acts as an antioxidant. She also suggests a drink that combines water, berries and basil leaves. This should be sipped throughout the next day as it will balance electrolytes and gives your body a much-needed dose of antioxidants.
