The warm weather means the living’s easy, you kick back and have a margarita with the girlfriends, a glass of wine with the husband, a beer or two at the neighborhood cookout. Before you know it, the pretty fresh-faced girl that you were in June is looking ten years older by August.We wonder… how does alcohol affect the way we look? While we’re not here to preach and tell you that drinking is all bad business we do want to warn you that overindulging too frequently can make you look older.Alcohol can cause wrinkles. It dehydrates the skin, delaying the production of collagen and in turn deepening lines.Because alcohol dehydrates the body it also slows down cellular turnover, which means dull skin. By quenching your thirst with an ice cold beer you’re not quenching your body’s need for water, and lack of water means your skin looks even duller. Sugary drinks are a double-whammy, the sugar molecules in sweet beverages cause glycation, a process in which sugar attaches to proteins, causing brittle and weak collagen.Alcohol makes the eyes and face puffy, too. It dilates blood vessels and causes redistribution of fluids, which is then most apparent around the eye area.Alcohol disrupts a healthy diet. Nobody wants to eat spinach after a night of drinking, and that’s because the body is trying to bring itself into balance by craving greasier and saltier foods which balance out alcohol’s high acid content.If you happen to drink one too many daiquiris anyway remember to rehydrate before bed by drinking a big glass of water, and applying a hyaluronic-rich serum or cream (we like Goldfaden Blueberry and Pomegranate Anti-Glycation Hydrating Serum). In the morning de-puff with a cold compress or ice mask.
