Tell-Tale Physical Traits of a Heavy Alcohol Drinker, Per Experts

Although you can�t change your genetics, you can take control of other factors that lead to premature ageing. Stay looking younger for longer and limit unhealthy habits that speed up the ageing process. Limiting the amount of alcohol you drink, and having plenty of water or soft drinks between alcoholic drinks can help avoid dehydration – which is also the main cause of a hangover.

• That way people with alcohol use problems can receive the help and support that they need while they continue to live their lives.
• In turn, this creates the red and warm feeling on your skin.
• Research shows that people who drink heavily have a 33 percent greater chance of getting arcus senilis, a telltale gray ring around their corneas before they turn 60.

Oar Health Member Stories: I Needed to Curb My Drinking But Didn’t Know How

• Liver disease caused by alcohol use can cause hyperpigmentation, palmar erythema, jaundice, generalized pruritus, and caput medusae.
• Dermatologists confirm that women who drink alcohol have an increased risk of developing rosacea.
• The safest and most effective way to stop alcohol misuse is under the medical supervision of addiction professionals.
• Nonprofits like SMART Recovery are free and expert-endorsed routes to sobriety, and organizations like Sunnyside and Alcohol Change UK support people in simply reducing their drinking.

Research shows that people who drink heavily have a 33 percent greater chance of getting arcus senilis, a telltale gray ring around their corneas before they turn 60. Other preexisting medical conditions also can get worse with drinking, including diabetes, high blood pressure, congestive heart failure and osteoporosis. And although cutting back on alcohol can give your skin a chance to regenerate, some damage cannot be reversed.

• If you struggle with alcohol abuse, it’s not just the hangover making you feel achy and look haggard.
• Heavy drinking over a long time can shrink brain cells and lead to alcohol-related brain damage (ARBD) and certain types of dementia.
• For instance, a person may forget to wash their face or brush their teeth.
• Chronic alcohol use can exacerbate dark circles and bags under the eyes.
• Alcohol depletes electrolytes and adversely affects tissue health.

Dehydration and Skin Texture

While heavy drinkers are more likely to have cirrhosis (permanent damage to your liver), even moderate drinking can lead to problems like fatty liver disease. It also can make it harder for your kidneys to do their thing. Women who had 28 drinks or more per week had a 33 percent higher chance of developing the same syndrome. By adding extra stress to your body and depriving it of the nutrients it needs to rebuild, alcohol can place you years ahead in the aging process, and affect how you look. There are many ways alcohol can put an extra strain on your body. Alcohol causes your body to release more stress hormones, which speeds up the aging process.

Does Drinking Speed up Aging?

The emotional stress caused by addiction can lead to chronic stress, a well-known accelerant of aging, manifesting in both mental and physical health decline. Chronic alcohol use can exacerbate dark circles and bags under the eyes. This is due to a combination of factors, including poor sleep quality, dehydration, and liver stress, all of which are common in those who abuse alcohol. The skin under the eyes is particularly thin, making it more susceptible to the effects of alcohol, leading to a more tired and aged look. One of the most immediate effects of alcohol on the skin is dehydration. Alcohol acts as a diuretic, which means it increases urine production and leads to the loss of fluids and essential electrolytes.

Alcohol Abuse

Jaundice, or yellowish skin, is also a sign of liver disease. While some medications and creams can help treat the condition, in the case of alcohol abuse, they’re a Band-Aid for the underlying trigger. Now a clinical psychologist who works with people with addictions, Utter knows alcohol-use disorder falls on a spectrum.

This can affect your personality, making you act and feel older than you are. But alcohol’s effects on skin and aging can make you look older prematurely. Sometimes the effects of aging aren’t as visible as changes in the skin, but they can still have a significant impact on the body. Alcohol can cause the body to retain water, leading to puffiness, particularly around the eyes and face. This bloating effect can give the appearance of sagging skin and contribute to a tired, aged look. The consistent strain on the skin from swelling and deflation can also cause the skin to lose its elasticity, further enhancing the aging process.

Individualized, evidence based treatment, to fit your needs.

We want to help you get on the road to recovery so that you can live a happy, healthy, and sober life. After detox has been completed, the next step is to learn how to go about life without needing alcohol anymore. Individuals completing alcohol detox should also learn ways to better take care of their bodies. For example, you can exercise and adhere to a well-balanced diet.

The Gut’s Connection to Alcohol and Aging

While some people with it do look like those bar patrons, many look perfectly healthy. Because dehydration from drinking can cause dry mouth, bad breath the day after drinking can also occur (2). One global study found that no amount of alcohol is completely safe does alcohol make you look older and that alcohol was the biggest risk factor for disease worldwide. Another more recent study found that any amount of alcohol causes harm to the brain. This can be dangerous for people who already have slower reaction times and poor balance without alcohol.

When addiction occurs, alcohol interferes with work and social interactions. In fact, a person may experience relationship problems with friends and family. Also, a person with a misuse disorder may experience early signs of aging on his or her body. However, because the way our body handles alcohol changes as we get older, late onset alcoholism can be especially dangerous. In this post, we’ll discuss alcohol’s effects on older adults, offer tips on how to help an elderly alcoholic, and teach you how to identify signs of alcohol abuse in older adults. Regularly drinking more than the UK Chief Medical Officers’ (CMOs) low risk drinking guidelines (no more than 14 units a week, with several drink-free days) harms your liver.