To think booze wrecks your face

[Everythingnotsaved]

I normally have a booze break of 6 months every year- during that time I regain my skin and my jawline which at 47 is no mean feat.

I’m on summer hols at the moment & have been drinking for 2 weeks and I look bloated, fat, jowley and awful. I feel so crap about myself & look 10 years older.

Aibu to think as you get older, even small amounts of booze have a huge effect?

Basically , would you water a plant with petrol ?

Do you think it matters what you drink though? Like scotch on the rocks vs gin with tonic which is full of sugar.

Alcohol + sun damage mean your boozy holiday in the sun is a double whammy for your skin. Switch to fruit juice and put on a hat!

I can't comprehend giving up for 6 months then tucking in again. It's an odd pattern. Why not just drink in moderation all year? If you can be without alcohol and don't have a "problem" for 6 months of the year, why bother starting if you know it wrecks your looks and you feel rotten in a few days? To answer the question, I'm 51, I drink and it has not affected my face but definitely my ability to lose weight.

@yourenotwrong it def matters what you drink - alcohol plus sugar even worse

If you do drink , clear spirits and fizzy water is the least bad in terms of sugar (obv not on alcohol content though !)

Sugar is toxic and ageing in its own right

@Dreamscomingtrue Wearing a hat is such an effective way to avoid sun damage, no wonder your skin is in great shape!

I drink more than the guidelines but get told I look younger and was IDed twice at the age of 40. I don't know, this thread does worry me, maybe it will catch up soon now I am early 40s and I should reign it in. I lather myself with cheap moisturiser at night, maybe that helps at the moment.

I was never much of a drinker, and gave up entirely eleven months ago. I do look younger than my age (43) and I’m sure in large part is because I wear sunscreen and don’t drink or smoke.

I agree. I'm teetotal and 29, most friends who drink, even younger than me already have noticeable lines (though that might be down to sun exposure too)

People I know past 40 (men & women) that have aged worst are definitely those that are sun worshipers or have outdoor jobs. Even those that are healthy in other respects (and they are probably healthy internally) are very wrinkled. Obviously booze isn’t good for the skin but the sun and pollution are worse.

I definitely think genetics comes into it too.

A woman I know who was an alcoholic with an eating disorder, (but wasn't slim), all sorts of MH problems, and loved tanning in the sun, did manage to still look quite young for her age and I think it must have been good genes.

She did have to go into hospital for a week or so once and she came out looking, honestly about 25 years younger though. I think it was because she had no booze in hospital and was so well hydrated due to IV fluids. So, even those who are lucky, I think it can sometimes make a difference. This was a woman who drank A LOT though.

I think it depends on the person. I drink during the weekend and it doesn’t affect my skin in anyway.

Surely clear spirits and soda water are better choices looks wise?
At least they are on the RHONY!

I stopped drinking wine as it made me puffy. I never get hangovers or look puffy with vodka.

I have found drinking to make your face puffy. I never noticed the ageing but it doesn't mean it doesn't happen.
I have found though that sun exposure and lack of sleep aged me a lot.

One of the reasons I stopped drinking, years ago. I think it dehydrates you/ your skin, doesn't it?

@BillieEilish, those women have a lot of cosmetic surgery and regular facials, which probably mitigates the damage done by sun worshipping and boozing.

Basically , would you water a plant with petrol ?

This

Yeah, but not as much as smoking

I like a drink of wine but I also drink a lot of water and get told I look younger than my age (48) all the time.

I think being too skinny can make you look worse than too much boozing. Runners face and all that. I haven't drunk for years so it's hard to tell if I would have looked any different.

DrManhattan

I agree and I don't run very often.

I’m 24 and only occasionally drink. Girls I went to school with binge drink every weekend and their faces are so bloated and blotchy! I think ageing skin is due to genes, poor diet and skincare, but frequently drinking large amounts of alcohol does not help.

Jesus yes. I bumped in to a friend if not seen in two years. She was always a heavy drinker and she looked awful. Bloated face and eyelids did a double take when I seen her.

Mil lives of cigarettes and red wine, face is battered although I don’t know if it’s the evil soul seeping our on her face or the fags and booze..

I drink a lot of red wine but gave up smoking and I try to balance it out with diet, lots of sleep, hot water with lemon all day and no stress making offspring. My DB is a good looking 12 years younger than me and people think he is older .
Will cutting down on drink really make me look younger???? I'm 48, with what most people say, with very good skin.

The big (vanity) motivator for me isn't even the people who look bad, but the people who never touch a drop and look fantastic! One woman I know hasn't drunk a drop since she was a teenager. She doesn't have tea or coffee either. She just looks beyond amazing. I kid myself that if I ditch the booze and brews, I will instantly look equally fantastic .

Yes, I do think very low body fat can be ageing on some people. A girl at my high school was very underweight for a while, (brought on by bullying ). She was 16, but she had deep wrinkles all over her poor wee face. She left school to do A levels at college and I saw her about a year later. She was a normal weight again, maybe even on the heavier side, and she just looked ridiculously smiley and lovely. That was probably more to do with happiness than weight though...

If I get really fat though, and especially if I don't exercise, I look older and much worse. I can get away with the fat as long as I do quite a bit of exercise.