Avoid hangover skin, you know, that dry and crinkly feeling you get all over your face the day after? Yeah, that’s what hangover skin feels like. We know that you’re going to be having quite some time over this jolly season. Thankfully, there are a few very useful ways to avoid hangover skin by making better choices with your consumption.
When you drink too much alcohol the body sees it as waste and tries extremely hard to get rid of it. This means that all your energy goes to removing what is essentially poison from your body instead of absorbing essential nutrients. The other issue arises from not getting enough quality sleep and eating too much junk food. You see, when we’re up all night partying drinking alcohol we tend to lose our inhibitions. This often leads us to crave unhealthy junk food and festering one very tired body. Then all you’re left with is puffy, dull, and dehydrated skin.
As fun as the holiday season is, it will eventually come to an end. Thank goodness for that because your skin is going to scream at you for all the socializing you do. That’s why it’s better to go in fully prepared. We thought it would help you to avoid hangover skin with these useful tips.
Avoid Hangover Skin
This might sound like a laughable matter, but we’re not making up the term, ‘hangover-skin.’ It’s a real thing that isn’t just to tempt you into buying new beauty products. Avoid hangover skin before you paint the town, up all night, and eat way too much processed food. The day after is a really unpleasant experience because waking up with a puffy, dry face, and a raging headache never made anybody feel happy.
Dermatologists state that the problem with party season is that it’s an entire season. It’s basically a prolonged period of binging. Skin experts explain that there’s no harm in having the odd night out here and there. Your skin can tolerate that. However, racking up those late and overindulgent nights can seriously cause problems. There are fortunately quite a few ways to help you avoid hangover skin from the get-go, which means you don’t have to cut the ‘fun’ out of Christmas entirely.
What Does Alcohol Do To Your Skin?
This is a very important question and many people don’t know the answer.
Skin specialists explain that one of the main effects of drinking too much alcohol is dehydration. Both your body and your skin dry up. This is because alcohol is a diuretic that forces water out of your body. It’s tricky to avoid hangover skin because it causes you to lose a lot of water that your skin cells need. This is what creates the dull and dry complexion you see after a heavy night. Even worse is that your body also finds it hard to rehydrate itself afterward. Therefore, your skin will likely be left looking dry with more obvious fine lines and wrinkles.
Moreover, drinking alcohol makes it difficult to avoid hangover skin because alcohol promotes inflammation. Often, this appears as redness or puffiness. It might be best to lay off sugary white wines and coolers because their high sugar content can lead to skin breakouts. Doctors also explain that you can start to see the effects of alcohol on your skin almost immediately. After 24 hours, your skin will begin to appear dull and dry.
In fact, copious amounts of alcohol can speed up the process of fine lines and wrinkles developing due to the amount it dehydrates the skin. You know those fancy cocktails, margaritas, and wines you love so much? Well, they are generally the highest in sugar and probably contribute the most to breakouts on the skin. Interestingly, red wine tends to release histamine and cause blood vessels to expand, which contributes to the redness of the skin.
Helpful Tips To Avoid Hangover Skin
The main thing to note about keeping your skin healthy is to see if you’re using the right skincare regime. You should also drink lots of water throughout the day to start seeing your skin go back to its usual self after a few days.
Prepare For The Worst
If you look after your skin from the beginning then you’ll be able to better handle all the fun festivities. That’s why dermatologists suggest sticking to a regular skincare routine every day. It’s important to look out for products that will help boost radiance and improve skin texture. This is what will revive your skin and help keep it that way. Avoid hangover skin by looking after your own skin throughout your life.
Think Twice Before Ordering a Tequila Sunrise
The best way to avoid hangover skin is to be mindful of your alcohol choice. Pick your poison wisely. As mentioned, alcohol is a diuretic, and it quickly dehydrates your skin when you start going hard. A really great way to avoid dehydration is to start drinking glasses of water in tandem with your alcoholic beverage. This is the best way to stop your body from pruning.
Sugary-sweet cocktails and sparkling wines are also not your skin friends. In fact, studies have linked sugar with an increase in wrinkles and a breakdown in collagen. This is a protein that affects skin elasticity and will help you avoid hangover skin.
Don’t Go Crazy With Fast Food
Late nights lead to poor food choices. It’s as simple as that. It’s pretty tempting to opt for greasier, saltier foods when overindulging, but this will only dehydrate you more. That’s why you’d be better off eating a nutritious meal before going out to drink. Try incorporating some healthy vegetables with a high water content like zucchini, cucumber, squash, and broccoli. These foods will all keep you hydrated.
If you are feeling hungry then a really satisfying and snack could be some raw nuts. These are high in fats which are excellent for effectively lining your stomach. So when you’re at a party, try to sit down next to the bowl of almonds.
Don’t Forget About Your Make-up
It’s the very last thing you feel like doing at the end of a party. Removing your make-up is a bit of a mission, but it’s totally worth it if you want to avoid hangover skin. Cleaning your face before hitting the sack will help you avoid blocked pores and blemishes.
You don’t have to complete a full-on cleansing, moisturizing, and toning routine in the early hours of the morning. However, you must make an effort to cleanse your skin so that it’s left clean with minimal effort. If that’s too much of a challenge then you can put a gentle milk cleanser next to your bed with face wipes and remove the make-up without having to stand in front of a mirror.
Trust us when we say that this is key if you want to avoid hangover skin.
Sleep Is The Best Way For Your Skin To Recover
Never sacrifice sleep in any case because it will catch up with you in the long term. Your skin is just one of the things that will be affected, and it so happens to be the largest organ in the body. Sleep is what allows you to avoid hangover skin as it’s the one chance your body has to replenish.
Look out for night-time beauty products that are easy to apply before bedtime. Watch out for hydration creams and recovery gels that are nourishing but not too heavy. Lastly, don’t forget to keep a large glass of water on the bedside table. You can also treat yourself to a facial the next day, whether you do it yourself or at a professional exfoliating your skin can make a massive difference in re-awaking the skin’s natural glow.
Lighten Up Your Eyes
It’s very common for the eyes to develop dark and puffy circles after lots of partying. You can avoid hangover skin and dark circles by looking for an eye cream containing caffeine. Dark circles generally tell you that you’re experiencing a hangover. Caffeine is believed to help reduce swelling, which is why cooled teabags can also have a similar effect. You can also look for products containing hyaluronic acid, which acts as a sort of polyfill for fine lines.
These may be temporary fixes, but they will certainly brighten up your eyes, making you look more awake.
Bottom Line
Avoid hangover skin by drinking mindfully and staying prepared. However, if everything else fails and you still can’t bear the thought of showing your face in public then there’s no harm in using a little make-up. Just ensure that you apply the make-up lightly and naturally for a natural glow. There’s no need to cake it on. You want your make-up to avoid hangover skin naturally without it looking like a mask. That’ll really make it obvious.
Never underestimate the power of a little blush on the cheeks and some mascara to fake a wide-awake appearance.
Want to know more?
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References
Everything You Need to Know About Curing Your Hangover Skin. Dazed Digital. https://www.dazeddigital.com/beauty/head/article/45754/1/hangover-skin-cure-alcohol-dermatologist-skincare
Saving face: Eight Tips for Avoiding ‘Hangover Skin’ this Christmas. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2019/dec/12/saving-face-eight-tips-for-avoiding-hangover-skin-this-christmas
Dietary Nutrient Intakes and Skin-Aging Appearance Among Middle-Aged American Women. Oxford Academic. https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/86/4/1225/4649573
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Hangovers. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/dec/12/everything-you-wanted-to-know-about-hangovers
Nutrition And Aging Skin: Sugar And Glycation. An Overview. Pub Med. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20620757
