The skincare benefits of Dry January:
Why your skin is thanking you for sobriety

What is Dry January?

With the memory of holiday hangovers quickly fading and weekend drinks looking more appealing, you may have considered not drinking for the month, also known as Dry January. Experts from Clarins are sharing why now is not the time to quit, as your skin is already benefiting from Dry January.

While seeking the best products to illuminate skin, you cannot overlook the basics with a healthy lifestyle key to a glowing appearance. And Dry January could be the perfect place to start.

Is Dry January good for your skin?

Glowy skin

Glowy and glass skin have filled social media feeds and magazine pages for the past few years, but one of the simplest ways to achieve improved hydration is to swap out alcoholic beverages and drink more water.

Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it causes you to use the bathroom more frequently, releasing essential salts and water from your body. In turn, this causes dehydration, which affects the visible appearance of the skin. The good news is that after ditching the drinks for a few weeks, you should notice an improved dewy appearance as the skin rehydrates and plumps up.

Remember, keep up the water intake and skip the drinks for lasting results and to retain hydration.

Reduce the appearance of redness

Due to the dilating of blood vessels in response to toxins in alcohol, skin can experience redness after a few drinks, giving an unflattering, flushed appearance. Regular alcohol consumption can also trigger or worsen skin conditions, including eczema, psoriasis, or rosacea. A month of sobriety allows your skin time to rejuvenate, reducing the appearance of redness.

Minimize the appearance of wrinkles

The drying nature of alcohol, combined with its high sugar content, reduces skin elasticity and causes sagging, wrinkles, fine lines, and a dull appearance. Staying away from alcoholic drinks will allow your skin to rehydrate, improving its appearance, but be patient. It can take a few weeks for your skin to start recouping, so seeing the month out is necessary if you want to see any real effects. Using a hydrating moisturizer can help skin appear even more youthful as you reap the benefits of keeping sober during Dry January.

Rebalance Oiliness

Excessive oiliness is a regular skin complaint only worsened by alcohol consumption. Drinking can enlarge the oil glands and pores on our face while also putting our hormones out of balance, a recipe for increased oil production exacerbated in those with combination and oily skin types.

Alcohol also undermines our immune system, making our skin more susceptible to germs that can cause acne and other skin infections. Committing to skipping the drinks for Dry January will allow your skin to rebalance and clear.

Diminish the appearance of dark circles

While you may fall asleep faster after a night on the town, the effects of alcohol disrupt the quality of your sleep, contributing to tired-looking dark circles under the eyes. Alcohol also dilates the blood vessels under the eye, making the darkness look more pronounced.

Although you may actually find it harder to fall asleep in the first week of Dry January as your body adjusts, by week two, you should experience a greater quality of beauty sleep.