CosBeauty Magazine #81

How TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR
SKIN AND STILL HAVE A GOOD TIME
their overall intake every month, which
over an annual basis is the equivalent
of eating 221 doughnuts!
So which drinks are your skin’s worst
enemy? We’re not suggesting that we
all have to become teetotallers if we
want good skin. We’re fi rm believers in
having a good time and many of us can
enjoy a drink without going overboard.
But if you are worried about the effect
alcohol is having on your skin, these
are the top three drinks to avoid:
THE MOJITO
Sadly, the combination of sugar
and alcohol found in most mojitos
means they’re particularly bad for
drinkers concerned about wrinkles.
The disruptive duo leads to: systemic
infl ammation, which can lead to
premature ageing; and also creates a
spike in insulin levels, which can create
that ‘morning after’ acne that we’ve all
suffered from.
THE MARGARITA
It’s not just the combination of sugar
and alcohol that you need to worry
about; the elements that make a
margarita so delicious are also what
make it so bad for your skin. Sugar plus
salt plus booze means you get all the
negatives of the above, plus a puffy face.
RED WINE
Heartbreakingly, red wine is one of
the worst drinks for your skin and your
face. Alcohol generally promotes the
opening of blood vessels in the skin,
which leads to increased redness – and
red wine is one of the worst offenders
because it’s also a histamine, which
further adds to redness and flushing. If
you’re prone to redness in your skin or
you suffer from rosacea, red wine may
quickly become your worst enemy. CBM
The good news? Your skin, like
any other organ, has the ability to
regenerate itself and your body has
an amazing rate of rehydration. But
that regeneration depends on how
much damage has been done. If
you’ve been drinking for 15 years
and decide to stop, it will definitely
help your body going forwards, but
your skin is not going to regenerate
back to that of a non-drinker 15
years younger. The truth is that
once you destroy collagen, it’s
difficult to get back; but there are
ways to minimise the damage.
KNOW YOUR LIMITS
How your body handles and
processes alcohol changes as you
age. An alcoholic drink leaves your
body in about three hours when
you’re 20; but by the time you
hit 40 it takes 33 hours – which
explains why your recovery time is
so much longer and your hangovers
seem to get worse as you age!
So basically if you’re drinking in
your 40s and you’re worried about
your skin, you should probably be
waiting a day in between drinks –
or keep it to once or twice a week.
STAY HYDRATED
We all know this one – alternate
between water and alcohol if you’re
going to drink. What you may not
know is that alcohol is a toxin
with little nutrient value and
can contribute to poorer liver
function, reduced immunity,
hormone disruption, cell
damage and insulin issues –
all impacting on the quality,
appearance and ageing of
your skin. Alcohol is also a
diuretic, so you can lose plenty
of skin cell-loving water from
the body quite rapidly, leaving
your skin dehydrated and dull.
Drinking plenty of water while
you drink – and of course every
day – is a good way to maintain
some of the hydration that alcohol
is depleting.
CHOOSE LOW OR NO
ALCOHOL OPTIONS
As society becomes increasingly
health conscious, the options for
those who want to minimise their
alcohol intake are increasing.
And the good news is you can
still actually have a wine without
having a drink. The clever
winemakers at Edenvale Beverages
have created alcohol-free versions
of your favourite wines, which
also have roughly half the calories
of standard wine. Their new
Premium Reserve range includes
a sparkling Blanc De Blanc, a
sparkling Shiraz and a Pinot Noir.
Made using exactly the same
process as traditional wine, the
alcohol is extracted at the final
stage, meaning these wines are
actually, well, wines. So instead of
bemoaning never drinking again to
save your skin, you can continue to
drink wine and keep your collagen!