Table of Contents

How Those Holiday Libations Affect Your Skin

Table of Contents

Published on Dec 22, 2016 By: WIFH Staff

‘Tis the season…for eating…and drinking. The holidays for many of us are a time for family, love, and gratitude. But they are also a time filled with sugary foods and alcoholic drinks in abundance at holiday parties and family gatherings.

How The Holiday Food and Drinks Affect The Skin

Though festive beverages are delicious and well deserved after a year of hard work, they are also dehydrating for your skin and can cause dullness, puffiness, redness, and even acne. When reaching for that eggnog, special punch, or peppermint schnapps-spiked hot chocolate this year, take special care to also reach for great skincare products and treatments to keep your skin glowing as brightly as your holiday lights!

Drinking sugary, alcoholic beverages anytime of year does damage to the skin. By affecting the liver and causing your body to enter detoxification mode, alcohol enlarges the pores and leaves skin looking pale and sapped of hydration. And salty drinks leave skin inflamed and bloated.

Alcohol is a particularly pesky enemy of a glowing complexion. It robs the body of vitamin A which is essential to cell renewal and turnover (aka, your beautiful complexion). It also depletes vital nutrients and electrolytes which contribute to that swollen or bloated look and feeling. Be especially mindful if you have a condition like rosacea because alcohol will cause blood vessels to dilate which can lead to broken capillaries and increased redness.

After we drink alcohol, we inevitably wake up puffier and less vibrant than before we reached for that boozy treat. During the holidays, our skin is especially at risk. Though all alcohol negatively affects the look and feel of our skin, the especially sugary drinks common to the holiday season add an extra inflammatory source from the added sugar.

Still, you don’t want to miss out on all the fun.

How To Freshen Up Your Skin During And After The Holiday Season

So what should you do if you find your skin suffering from dehydration after a season of celebration? Come to WIFH for a Hydrafacial MD, which will rejuvenate your tired skin by ridding it of dead cells and replenishing its moisture by infusing it with specialty serums. HydraFacial is also the perfect treatment to get you ready for a holiday event. Your skin will glow for days. Everyone will want to know what your secret is.

Noticing more acne than usual? More noticeable fine lines and wrinkles? Try a DermaSweep Microdermabrasion, which will smooth the skin and clean the pores, or a chemical peel (VI Peel) to reduce pore size and improve skin’s texture and firmness while lessening the appearance of pigmentation, fine lines and wrinkles.

The Best Cosmetic Procedures for Aging Skin
The Best Cosmetic Procedures for Aging Skin
Read More

Not sure what you need? Schedule a personal skin consultation to receive an individualized approach to addressing your skin’s post-holiday needs. And remember—use hydrating facial sprays, serums and quality moisturizers to keep your skin glowingly healthy and hydrated all year long.

Takeaway

Be aware of how alcohol affects your skin, but don’t let the effects ruin your holiday season plans. Definitely celebrate the holidays with family and friends with festive food and drink. Just remember to be safe and take good care of your skin by rehydrating after a night of holiday cheer. And you’re in luck, because we have you and the health of your skin covered at WIFH. Your skin does not have to suffer. Happy holidays!

Sarah Richardson, LME

Sarah Richardson is WIFH’s Lead Medical Aesthetician and manages the skincare side of our practice. She is also an Assistant Cosmetic Laser Practitioner licensed by the Georgia Medical Composite Board. With over 16 years of skin care experience, Sarah specializes in creating customized treatment plans to address our patients’ individualized needs. Through a combination of clinical facials and aesthetic procedures, as well as scientifically effective skin care products, Sarah helps patients achieve a healthy, radiant, and glowing complexion. She is truly passionate about what she does and loves to educate others who are looking to improve their skin’s health.