‘Alcoholic Face’: How Does Alcohol Affect the Face?

exploring the effects of 'alcoholic face'

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How Does Alcohol Affect the Face?

Our physical appearance can reveal a lot about our health and common illnesses and poor health can often result in temporary or permanent facial changes. Alcohol misuse can seriously impact facial features, including the appearance of the skin, leading to the informal term ‘alcoholic face.’ While this is a colloquial term that is not used professionally by clinicians, we understand that it is a term that resonates with people searching for more information about this condition.

While people struggling with addiction shouldn’t be defined by their appearance, recognising how the face can change in response to alcohol misuse could help you or someone you love understand that alcohol has become a problem and how to seek support. 

The good news is that it’s possible to reduce or reverse alcohol’s effects on the face by understanding how alcohol misuse impacts the body and making changes to the amount consumed.

What Is Meant by an ‘Alcoholic Face’?

Drinking alcohol can bring about a variety of changes in the body. Depending on the amount of alcohol consumed, the type, and for how long, our skin and facial features can be negatively affected, changing how we look. This can be known as ‘alcoholic face’.

It’s good to note that the facial changes associated with alcohol dependence could be due to other factors, such as lack of sleep, illness, natural ageing, and stress. Yet, awareness of how the face can look different due to alcohol’s effects on the body can help people make changes to their drinking habits and reverse the effects of drinking alcohol on their appearance. 

Common Facial Signs of Alcohol Consumption 

Drinking alcohol puts the body under stress, especially when misused or if there’s an alcohol addiction. Yet, even casual alcohol intake can cause temporary changes in appearance. 

  • Facial Flushing

    For instance, many people may experience a slight flushing or redness of the face after drinking. This warmth or redness happens when our bodies attempt to break down alcohol into a compound called ‘acetaldehyde.’ When we have one drink, the body may be able to break alcohol into acetaldehyde adequately. However, as we keep drinking, our bodies start to run out of the enzymes required to metabolise it further. As a result, acetaldehyde builds up and can cause a flushed or reddened appearance.1 

  • Facial Sweating

    Additionally, when we drink alcohol, our heart rates increase, widening the blood vessels and contributing to sweating. However, everybody’s genetics are different, so some people may be more prone to sweating from drinking alcohol than others.

  • Acne Breakouts

    Even moderate alcohol consumption can alter hormone levels in the body, contributing to changes in appearance. Testosterone levels can increase, leading to skin conditions such as acne, and cortisol levels may become imbalanced, creating a rounded face shape.2

  • Facial Swelling

    Swelling of the face can also happen when our body tries to counteract alcohol’s dehydrating effects through water retention, as it tries to hold on to water and salts. Another reason why some people may experience bloating of the face after drinking alcohol could be caused by an inflammatory response due to alcohol intolerance. However, facial swelling can also be the result of liver damage from alcohol addiction, which we will discuss in the next section.

  • Weight Gain

    To add to this, weight gain and muscle loss caused by alcohol consumption can cause changes to the shape of the face. Other short-term signs of alcohol’s effects on the face include:

    • Bloodshot eyes and dark circles due to lack of sleep and dehydration

    • Dry or dehydrated skin, or else oily skin resulting from hormone imbalance

    • Increased sensitivity of the skin, leading to rashes or breakouts

Whereas the short-term effects of moderate alcohol intake often resolve themselves after a couple of days, the long-term signs of alcohol misuse may indicate a more serious underlying issue.

worried about 'alcoholic face'


Effects of Long-Term Alcohol Misuse on the Face & Skin

Excessive drinking can cause ‘alcoholic face’, causing several, long-term changes to facial appearance, including the appearance of the skin. 

Whereas it’s good to be aware that each of the following effects can also be caused by issues unrelated to alcohol, if your or a loved one’s alcohol intake is regularly over the national drinking guidelines, then the following could be signs of an alcohol addiction or alcohol use disorder.  

  • Broken capillaries and chronic redness of skin

    Binge drinking releases a hormone called renin, increasing blood pressure against the walls of the blood vessels and causing them to dilate to unhealthy levels. Misusing alcohol over a long period can cause a continued rise in blood pressure and damage to the blood vessels. This damage can result in long-term facial redness or spider veins; broken blood vessels which look like thin red, blue, or purple veins just under the skin’s surface.1,2

  • Consistently swollen face

    Although even moderate drinking can cause facial swelling, chronic alcohol consumption can lead to inflammation and damage to the liver, reducing its ability to remove toxins from the body and potentially leading to facial oedema. Facial oedema can look like swollen cheeks, puffy eyes, or general overall facial bloating.3 

  • Yellow skin and eyes

    Jaundice is a condition that causes yellowing of the skin or eyes and is caused by increases in a compound called bilirubin in the body. When the liver isn’t able to work as it should or is swollen from alcohol misuse (hepatitis), jaundice can develop. However, jaundice can also be caused by conditions unrelated to alcohol, such as viral infections, cancers, medications, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.2

  • Premature aging

    Excessive alcohol use can highly contribute to premature ageing. Alcohol dehydrates the body and causes it to lose vital salts, leading to dull, dry, and wrinkle-prone skin. It also uses up the body’s collagen stores, which reduces the skin’s elasticity and ‘bounce,’ resulting in a lack of volume or sagging skin, especially in the mid-face.4 

  • Inflammation and Skin Sores

    As alcohol causes inflammation it can lead to rosacea, blotchiness, acne, and puffiness. It can also damage the gut’s natural biome and immune system, contributing to, or even causing, skin problems such as eczema and psoriasis and making it harder to fight off skin infections such as skin sores.

  • Brittle Hair and Nails

    Alcohol’s dehydrating effects over time can cause dry scalp and brittle hair and nails.

Can the Physical Signs of Alcohol on the Face Be Reversed?

Understanding the cause of the concerns of ‘alcoholic face’ is key to reducing them, but the good news is that many of the facial symptoms of alcohol misuse are reversible. 

When trying to reverse alcohol’s effects on the face, aim to get plenty of sleep, increase hydration by drinking lots of water, and eat a balanced diet to improve nutrition levels. 

While issues such as puffiness, flushing, and skin texture can be improved by cutting out alcohol, other signs of alcohol misuse on the face may require cosmetic surgery. For instance, broken blood vessels or spider veins can only be reduced through laser therapy.  

Our appearance is often an insight into our general health and well-being. Getting to the root of the problem is the best route to reversing alcohol’s effects on the body. If you are concerned about your or a loved one’s drinking, advice and support are available.

Help & Treatment for Alcoholism

‘Alcoholic face’ and chronic redness, puffiness, and other alcohol-related skin concerns are signs that it’s time to cut back on or eliminate alcohol. If you’re regularly consuming alcohol more than recommended by guidelines and are experiencing negative effects from drinking but are unable to stop, it is advisable to seek professional support. 

If you or someone you care about is considering cutting back on alcohol, it can be encouraging to know the short and long-term benefits.

For instance, the short-term effects of reducing alcohol intake include:

  • Healthier looking skin
  • Better sleep
  • No more hangovers
  • Potential weight loss

As good as the short-term benefits of cutting back on alcohol are, the long-term ones are even better. They include:

  • Enhanced overall quality of life
  • Reduced risk of cancers, liver and heart disease, and strokes
  • Improved mood
  • Better relationships

Tips on Reducing Your Alcohol Intake

Deciding to reduce alcohol intake can be difficult. Sometimes, people try to cut back on alcohol but don’t know how to start. If you or a loved one are ready to cut back, arming yourself with the right steps, such as the following, can help. 

  1. Find what works best for you 

Even a small change can make a big difference. Recognising that you’re drinking more than the recommended amount allows you to understand where to make a change. For instance, if you still want to socialise in situations where there will be alcohol, aim to drink non-alcoholic beverages or alternate each drink with a glass of water.

2. Track your ‘triggers’

Recognising what creates the desire for alcohol allows you to start controlling it by planning ahead. For example, managing work stress through mindfulness techniques could reduce the urge to drink alcohol. Or, choosing to meet up with friends in places such as local parks instead of in the pub could also reduce the desire to drink. 

3. Ask for support

If you are still struggling to reduce your alcohol consumption then opening up to family and friends and seeking help from support groups is very helpful. Support groups such as 12 Step programmes, and can improve the chances that someone will successfully cut down on alcohol intake and achieve long-term recovery. So don’t be afraid to reach out for help or seek professional support.5 

4. Professional support

For many, reversing or managing the alcohol’s effects on appearance is best done through seeking support from a mental health professional, such as a detoxification programme or alcohol therapy. People with alcohol dependence and who may be struggling with ‘alcoholic face’ may be at risk of experiencing withdrawal symptoms, which can be dangerous as well as increase the risk of relapse. 

CATCH Recovery’s alcohol therapy specialists provide support, care, and assistance throughout the detox process and through therapy that targets alcoholism, helping you into sobriety and improving the chances of long-term recovery.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is meant by “alcoholic face”?

    Alcoholic face is an informal term that isn’t used by medical or mental health professionals. However, it refers to the facial changes caused by heavy drinking, such as puffiness, redness, and changes to skin texture, amongst other concerns.

  • Does alcohol make your skin look older?

    Yes. As well as being the cause of visible symptoms like ‘alcoholic face’, alcohol can cause premature ageing through dehydration and vitamin and collagen depletion.

  • What is Rhinophyma?

    Rhinophyma is a skin condition which causes swelling and redness of the nose, but despite common misconception, it is not caused by alcohol or heavy drinking

  • Can the facial effects of alcohol be reversed?

    Many of the facial effects of alcohol can be managed or reversed by cutting down on or eliminating alcohol from the lifestyle. However, some facial effects, such as broken capillaries, may require cosmetic procedures such as laser therapy.

  • Does alcohol affect your hair and scalp?

    When regularly consumed in excess, alcohol’s dehydrating effects can cause drying of the scalp and hair follicles, leading to thinner and more brittle hair.