Will I get acne from drinking alcohol?

The link between alcohol and acne.

Drinking a glass of alcohol will not immediately cause pimples, but it will affect your hormones, immune system and liver. And these are the culprits of acne.

1) The hormones

Our hormones play a major role in our body and determine how our skin looks. When you drink alcohol, your testosterone levels skyrocket and your body starts to produce more hormones (androgens).

These androgens are also the factory for producing sebum. But if our sebum factory works overtime, there is a greater chance that our pores will clog. And clogged pores increase the risk of pimples.

2) The immune system

This ensures that bad invaders do not enter our body. Drinking alcohol damages our immune system. As a result, it can no longer resist those bad invaders as well. It has to work harder to keep everything under control.

But it has already lost some of its north, giving the evil invaders free rein.

3) Stress

And yes, stress is also part of the acne story. When you drink a glass of wine, your stress hormone levels such as cortisol increase. And they in turn work on your immune system. It is always a “and – and” story.

4) Alcohol and sugar

A glass of wine? Or a mixed drink such as a cocktail or gin and tonic? Only then will you get a real sugar bomb.

What happens in the body? If you drink a glass of alcohol, your blood sugar levels will rise. This causes your body to start producing more insulin. And that insulin then causes a hormonal response. This makes your skin more sensitive to acne.

5) The liver

Drinking too much can affect every part of your body. And which organ is most affected by your drinks of alcohol? Indeed the liver.
This filters the toxins in our body. So if you have a good night's sleep, your liver will work overtime to remove all those toxins.

But if too many toxins enter the body, he cannot get through his work. And these toxins continue to wander around in the body.
Toxins can then lead to an increase in skin problems, including acne.

So, does alcohol cause acne?

Drinking a glass of alcohol will not immediately cause pimples, but it will affect your hormones, immune system, and liver, making you more susceptible to not only acne, but also other skin problems.


Author: Sofie Dewitte