The Surprising Way Unhealthy Alcohol Use Affects Your Looks

Can you tell someone is a chronic alcohol drinker just by looking at them? Science says yes - there are a number of ways that heavy alcohol use can affect your looks and signal it’s time to take control of your drinking.

What You'll Learn:

• The key contributing factors for why alcohol affects appearance.

• What causes facial bloating.

• Why drinking alcohol causes a red complexion.

• What makes skin dry and dull from drinking alcohol.

• How alcohol use affects hair and nails.

• Why belly fat is connected to chronic drinking.

Often it’s easy to tell when someone is inebriated, but identifying people who chronically drink alcohol isn’t quite so obvious - unless you know what signs to look for.

There are physical changes that can happen when you drink alcohol regularly. They become outward tell-tale signs that a person is drinking too much. Some of the changes are surprising even though they are quite common.

If looking healthier and younger is motivation to stop or reduce alcohol consumption, knowing how it’s affecting your looks should help.

Key Contributors That Make Alcohol Affect Your Looks

It’s clear that alcohol impacts how a person looks, but what is it that’s causing the changes? When it comes to your physical appearance, there are numerous contributing factors connected with alcohol consumption:

Dehydration - This is a huge problem with alcohol. It causes dehydration, and one of the first places you’ll notice it is the skin.

Chronic Inflammation - Alcohol is a toxin that causes persistent inflammation. The inflammation causes a variety of issues that can be seen after enough time.

Elastin and Collagen Breakdown - Collagen and elastin are the structural framework for skin. It’s what keeps skin firm and stretchy rather than saggy. Alcohol damages collagen and elastin causing them to break down.

Hormone Disruption - Alcohol is known to disrupt hormone production, particularly the production of testosterone and estrogen. It creates a variety of problems, some of which show up on your skin.

Poor Nutrition - There’s also an indirect cause that can affect your appearance. Many heavy drinkers have poor nutrition. Over time, the nutrient depletion will show up in the hair, skin and nails.

Poor Sleep - Sleep is when our body repairs itself. Alcohol is known to disrupt sleep, cutting the recovery process short, which impacts the entire body.

Bloated Face

One of the biggest giveaways that someone is drinking excessively is bloating in the face. Many people who are drinking don’t realize how much their face has changed since it can be a slow evolution. But all it takes is a few days of not drinking for some people to see their face slim down. And about 4-6 weeks after stopping, many others will notice that your face isn’t nearly as round and bloated as before. They may even ask if you’ve lost weight.

The bloated face is the result of water retention due to dehydration. That means face bloating can be an issue even if someone loses weight. The face will look swollen and round regardless.

The face can be bloated overall as well as under the eyes. You may also notice it in your hands and feet. Water retention happens because the body is in survival mode trying to hold onto hydration.

Many people note that after a few months of not drinking their face changes and their jawline is visibly sharper. It’s one of the first features that improves once the bloat goes down. Cheek bones also become more prominent and double chins start to slim down.

Red Complexion

You may also notice a more ruddy complexion. The redness is from two sources. One is broken capillaries on the nose and cheeks. It’s also caused by dilated blood vessels that makes a person look persistently flushed.

Dull, Dry Skin

This is another result of the dehydrating effect of alcohol and the breakdown of collagen. Excessive alcohol use leads to dull, dry skin that doesn’t look healthy. Some people even state that their skin has a greyish appearance from the dryness and flaky skin.

Skin Wrinkling and Loss of Firmness

The drying effect creates another visible sign - wrinkles. People who drink heavily are more likely to have fine lines and wrinkles since the skin is dry. The breakdown of elastin and collagen also causes sagging that can make wrinkling worse.

More Breakouts and Skin Problems

Any skin problems that you’re experiencing are exacerbated by alcohol. If you are prone to breakouts, you’ll deal with it on a more regular basis. And if you have rosacea or eczema those will be worse too.

Thin, Unhealthy Hair

Many people who quit drinking after a period of regular alcohol use note that they are surprised to find that their hair looks and feels much better. Some people don’t realize their hair looked different until they are a few months sober. Commenters on a post in the /StopDrinking Reddit thread a few years ago found that their hair was noticeably thicker and healthier looking.

Some of the hair issues included:

• Thinning

• Limpness

• Greasiness

This is a two-part issue. One is behavioral - you’re less likely to practice good hair hygiene. The other factor is nutritional. People who are drinking heavily usually have nutrient deficiencies that can have an affect on hair growth.

Hair is very nutrient dependent. So, people who are drinking a lot and not eating a healthy diet end up lacking in key nutrients. It can get to the point that some people experience hair loss.

Brittle Nails That Are More Likely to Break

Here again nutrient deficiencies play a role. Paired with dehydration, it’s easy for nails to become brittle and more likely to break easily.

Belly Fat

One physical change that people are most familiar with is belly fat. The “beer gut” as it’s known, is a common issue, but few people realize it’s not just from the empty calories in alcohol. Visceral fat also increases from alcohol. This is a type of hard fat around organs in the mid-section. It can contribute to the appearance of belly fat, but is also .

Yellowing Skin and Eyes

As liver damage progresses from drinking it can cause jaundice. The physical symptoms of the condition are yellowing of the skin and eyes. It’s an indication of how alcohol affects blood since jaundice is the result of red blood cells breaking down and not being processed by the liver correctly.

Your body can begin recovering almost immediately if drinking is significantly reduced or stopped altogether, and you’ll start to see the difference in as little as a week. If you need help making the behavioral changes that are necessary to save your skin, hair and figure, prescription naltrexone medication could be the solution. It’s an FDA-approved medication that helps reduce alcohol cravings so you naturally want to drink less.

You can learn about naltrexone and get other recommendations by taking the online Alcohol Use Assessment. In a matter of minutes it gauges your alcohol consumption, habits and goals to provide valuable feedback that will get you looking and feeling better.