Having a few too many at the office Christmas party can leave you with a throbbing headache, but even after the hangover has cleared up you skin will be still taking the hit.
In fact, depending on your age, it can take your skin up to four weeks to recover from a night of binge drinking over the festive season, leaving telltale signs such as dark circles and accentuated lines and wrinkles caused by dehydration.
Experts from the CACI Intertaional anti-ageing clinic have analysed studies on the effect of increased alcohol consumption on the skin, as well as collecting anecdotal evidence from their own therapists across the UK, showing that the toxicity left over after a heavy night can last up to four weeks after the party for women over 40.
Younger women tend to bounce back faster, but the ageing affects for women in their 20s and 30s can still last up to a fortnight.
Men’s bodies are better able to synthesise alcohol, allowing their skin to bounce back quicker, although it can still take their skin up to a week to recover from a big night out.
Skin hangover problems are made worse by smoking and wearing heavy make-up.
CACI Founder and CEO Dean Nathanson said: ‘The effects of Christmas party binge drinking on the skin last much longer than the immediate hangover.
‘Consumption of over 14 units of alcohol in one night will take a 40-year-old woman’s skin nearly a month to recover fully from and if she goes out a few times over the festive season it will only get worse.
‘The toxic effect of the alcohol and sugar remain in the skin long after the hangover feeling has subsided.’
LA-based dermatologist Dr Harold Lancer, who treats the Beckhams and Kardashians, has previously warned it can take the skin up to 30 days to truly get over a hangover.
‘It takes about two to four weeks for that to regulate,’ he told The Telegraph.
‘Think about it, someone who has been on birth control pills is not usually totally hormonally static for three to six months after coming off them.
‘So when you have a hormonal jolt caused by a sugar fest – let’s say at a pizza party – there’s salt, dairy, carbohydrates and alcohol.
It will take about 30 days for that to naturally calm down. A glass of the finest red wine is 400 calories of sugar.’
He also went on to explain that your hangover cure isn’t any better; claiming you may as well ‘shoot yourself’ if you’re going to mop up the night before’s alcohol with a fry-up.
‘You might as well paint blemishes on your face,’ he said, instead recommending a bowl of kale with balsamic vinaigrette and grilled organic chicken.