In the pursuit of flawless, blemish and acne-free skin,  we try everything under the sun (no pun intended), the latest sunscreen, a new face wash, exfoliation, anti-aging creams or facials, anything that hits the market. Even from horrible tasting supplements, we don’t shy away. We are willing to try almost anything to get this beautiful and amazing light-beige to ivory porcelain looking skin complexion.

Yet, we never thought of one of the biggest culprit that many times wrecks havoc on us –Alcohol! In particular, how much we consume, how regular we drink and what type of alcohol we prefer, has the biggest and most unexpected impact on our skin complexion in particular. It’s no secret that alcohol is no health elixir, but many of us will be shocked to discover that regular alcohol consumption can inhibit the body’s natural ability to produce or transform crucial vitamins from the food we eat. In particular Vitamin B12, that we need for fighting acne, hyper-pigmentation, rashes, dry and flaky skin and redness, for which people often use an eczema cream to get rid of these symptoms again. Also Vitamin D that is necessary for proper calcium absorption can be depleted with too much alcohol consumption. According to the ‘Canadian Centre for Addiction and Mental Health’, women should not drink any more than 10 drinks per week and definitely not drinking daily, with alcohol being one of the worst, most aggressive compounds to destroy our skin. The way it is harming our skin is by dehydrating it. Once dehydrated, even the use of a moisturiser won't be sufficient at this stage as the skin has been stripped of it hydration from the inside.   It takes most of the fluid out of the skin and in comparison with a person that has been drinking for 20 or 30 years, to a person that hasn’t been drinking alcohol at all, we will notice the massive difference in their skin with the former displaying much more wrinkles that are often quite deep and irreversible and a complexion that would put 10 more years on the person's look and biological clock.

Alcohol shows up in a person’s skin and it accelerates skin aging says the ‘International Council of Active Aging’, with things like wrinkles, puffiness,  dryness, red cheeks and purple capillaries. Indeed, regular and heavy drinking can add years to your face, because alcohol dehydrates the entire body, and that includes our skin. It is diuretic and this is the reason it makes us going to the toilet more, so we need to drink more water to replenish our body. As we age however, the body’s ability to detect thirst decreases over the years making it easy to suffer dehydration. Another important contributor is that alcohol disrupts healthy sleeping patterns and can even worsen insomnia. We all know that consistent lack of sleep deprives the body of the necessary self-repair function that in turn accelerates aging a lot. Drinking puts a strain on our liver and if the liver can’t detox our system adequately, toxins will stay in the body and this can greatly impact the way we are aging.

Now, what if the damage has been done? You can bounce back—although within reason. If you do give up alcohol, the good thing is that your skin, like any other organ, has the ability to regenerate.  But that regeneration depends very much on how much damage has been done and what products you choose from then on to rehydrate your skin and supply it with the nutrients it needs to promote healthy, glowing skin again.

For a deep rehydration like a big drink of water for your skin, think of Hyaluronic + Vitamin C Face Serum that has been fortified with therapeutic-grade Vitamin C to suppress skin pigmentation by inhibiting an enzyme that catalyses the production of pigments, thus making it effective in helping to lighten dark areas of skin.  Hyaluronic + Vitamin C Serum  is incredibly helpful to boost skin collagen synthesis and encourage skin cell turnover and helps to boost the regenerative process of the epidermis, giving a youthful glow. It reduces premature aging, dimpling, fine lines, sagging skin, enlarged pores, free radical damage from toxins and much more. While this is a re-hydrating serum, it is best combined with our moisturiser the 'Anti-Aging Serum' to deep-treat your skin with potent rejuvenating nutrients to achieve a youthful and glowing skin complexion again!