Alcohol and skin.

Short term: alcohol widens blood vessels and mildly inhibits clotting. Anyone who drank the night before bleeds more during injections – bruises become larger and last longer. Alcohol also dehydrates the skin so that it is slacker and duller on the treatment day than usual.

Long term: regular intake promotes redness and dilated vessels (especially with rosacea), disturbs sleep, depletes vitamins (B, A, C, zinc) and raises inflammation markers. The skin becomes thin and uneven faster. The combination of alcohol plus smoking amplifies both.

Before treatment: no alcohol 24 hours before botulinum toxin and 48 hours before fillers. The same applies to blood-thinning painkillers (aspirin, ibuprofen), fish oil, ginkgo and high-dose vitamin E – unless prescribed by a physician.

After treatment: abstain on the treatment day; after fillers better two days. Alcohol increases swelling and redness. After that there is no restriction – a glass of wine dissolves neither fillers nor botulinum toxin.

Honest assessment: moderate intake is no aesthetic drama. But anyone who seriously wants to improve their skin often notices more from an alcohol-free month than from any cream.