How to Keep Skin Firm

Your skin doesn't change overnight just because you take care of it. If you have frequent late-night drinking gatherings, it signals a red light for your skin condition.

If you go to sleep without properly removing your makeup due to excessive drinking or fatigue, you must be prepared for breakouts or a swollen face the next day. Your skin becomes so rough and dry that you cannot even apply makeup.

It is strictly forbidden to touch pimples with your hands while drinking alcohol. Touching them with hands contaminated with dust or pollutants can worsen the acne or leave scars. You should also avoid wiping them with a used wet towel. Frequent excessive drinking causes acetaldehyde, a toxic substance produced during the breakdown of alcohol, to aggravate skin inflammation, making acne and pimples develop easily.

Acne occurs when excessive amounts of adrenal cortical hormones are secreted, causing hair follicles to become clogged due to the hormones producing a large amount of sebum. The simplest and most effective first aid measure for acne is a cold compress. Cold compresses soothe the skin and slow down the activity of the sebaceous glands. If the acne does not subside even after this, it is advisable to seek treatment from a dermatologist.

For skin health, you must adequately replenish fluids while drinking alcohol. Many people drink carbonated beverages or coffee instead of water, but this is not helpful as caffeine promotes skin dehydration. When you drink, the alcohol absorbed into the body reduces glutathione, a skin-protecting component, and causes moisture to evaporate, leading to dry skin.

The reason your face looks dull, flaky, or wrinkled the day after heavy drinking is due to excessive moisture loss. Therefore, after drinking, applying a lotion rich in moisture and drinking about twice your usual amount of water or electrolyte drinks is effective for hydrating the skin and preventing breakouts. Applying milk is also beneficial. In addition to moisturizing, milk has cleansing and soothing properties and causes few side effects even on sensitive skin. However, you must make sure to rinse it off thoroughly after washing your face.
 
One of the main reasons for facial swelling after year-end gatherings is the snacks consumed with alcohol. Snacks generally contain excessive amounts of salt, which causes swelling in both the body and face. When your face is swollen, it is best to soothe the skin by applying a cold compress with a towel and rinsing it with lukewarm water. In particular, washing your face with green tea helps reduce swelling due to polyphenols, a component found in green tea that breaks down fat.

No matter how drunk you are, you must absolutely never go to bed without removing your makeup. Waste products secreted while you sleep and the oil components of cosmetics can clog your pores and cause skin problems.

source How to Keep Skin Firm After Being Overworked by Year-End Parties - Your Health Guide Health Chosun (chosun.com)