Today is National Beer Day, which got me wondering that this really means for me? I like to knock a few back every once in awhile like most people. We often think about what this does to our health, empty calories and such, but not often what it does for our beauty. Luckily, BellaSugar has the answers i’ve been looking for.

As much as we delight in sharing positive beauty news about alcohol—Red wine protects your teeth from cavities! It’s obvious that excessive drinking takes a toll on your appearance.

Sadly, there’s a bad part:

It makes eyes puffy. “Alcohol dilates the blood vessels and causes redistribution of fluid,” says dermatologist Erin Gilbert of Gramercy Park Dermatology in New York City. “Your whole body is affected, but you tend to especially see the swelling in the thin skin of your eyelids and the skin under your eyes.”

It gives you wrinkles. “Chronic drinkers look older than their peers because they’ve been chronically dehydrated,” says Gilbert. “When you’re dehydrated, you’re not regenerating collagen as well, and lines in the skin tend to become deeper faster.”

It dulls the skin. Dehydration is a big factor in this too, but another reason is that “after a night of drinking, you often don’t stick to your normal skin-care routine,” says Gilbert. “Not only are you not cleansing your skin properly, you probably haven’t had water or consumed healthy fruits, or gotten enough sleep—all things that make us look healthy on a regular basis.”

It worsens rosacea. As a vasodilator, alcohol “absolutely exacerbates rosacea and flushing,” says Gilbert, adding that there’s also a strong link between psoriasis and drinking that’s still being studied.

It interrupts beauty sleep. Yes, falling asleep might be easier after a half-carafe of Tempranillo, but alcohol makes you “much more likely to wake up multiple times during the night,” says Phyllis C. Zee, director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Northwestern University in Chicago. A recent study performed by the University of Michigan found that drinking was more detrimental to women’s sleep than men’s, with women waking up more frequently during the night and getting fewer hours of sleep.

It sabotages diets. Stephen Gullo, a health psychologist and diet expert in New York City told Allure that more than two cocktails tends to stimulate your appetite, making you apt to pick at hors d’oeurves all night. To boot, the following morning, you’re likely to grab a greasier-than-usual breakfast. “Alcohol is a highly acid-forming substance, so after a night of heavy drinking, your pH balance is out of whack,” says health coach Jennifer Kass of Kass Health in New York City. “You crave the salty, fatty foods because your body is trying to create balance again—what you should be eating is super-alkalizing foods like leafy greens, but bacon and eggs will probably sound more appealing than a bowl of kale.”

Hopefully these tips haven’t turned you off to drinking completely. It’s just important to know all the facts! Head over to Stock N’ Go for all the best prices on health and beauty products. If you have any more tips/thoughts on drinking and the way it affects the way you look or feel let us know by leaving a comment below!

(Image courtesy of BellaSugar)