Acne and Alcohol
Bad acne can drive you to drink, but that’s probably not a good idea for improving your skin. While alcohol does not exactly cause acne, it can unfortunately contribute to breakouts, especially with people who already have an acne problem.
Perhaps you’ve noticed that when you’re drinking alcohol your skin can become rather flushed and red. For many drinkers, mild acne breakouts can often follow. This is due to the diuretic effect of alcohol, in that it basically saps water out of your cells, leaving your blood cells dilated - which causes the redness seen on your skin. This happens due to the fact that alcohol is a concentrated source of calories which metabolizes at a rapid pace. Your pores can shrivel a bit as this happens and get clogged, as they do not remain as supple as with a natural tightening of the skin as seen with B5. Also, the high sugar-yeast content of alcohol can contribute to bacteria growth, such as the P. acnes bacteria that results in acne.
What to do? Well, you can quit drinking….but since that doesn’t sound like fun, just keep in mind these effects and try to tone down the types of drinks that are most likely to cause flushing, mainly beer and red wine (being fermented and then further distilled makes these drinks more likely to cause flushing). A light beer that has a few less carbs will usually be easier on your skin, as well as domestic beers containing less preservatives. Hard liquor is actually better for you than a typical beer when it comes to skin care. In any case, just try not to overdo your drinking (ie: don’t be an alcoholic), and your skin will be better off in general (as will most things in your life ^_^).
