This Is Why White Wine Is Making You Look Older

How can we welcome the wisdom that comes with age and keep the wrinkles out of the equation? Yes, bathing in sunscreen, avoiding the pack of cigarettes, and getting a sweat on are great ways to keep us feeling and looking youthful, but there's no avoiding the great role our diet plays in the process of aging. We're looking at you alcohol.

Evidence suggests there is a strong connection between alcohol and aging. Alarmingly, in more ways than just one. According to Ria Health, your drinking routines can cause your body to release more stress hormones which quickens the aging process. Your digestive system is also affected by the sauce, making it harder to absorb nutrients. Simply put, the negative effects alcohol has on our bodies maintenance system results in the aging process to be stuck on the fast-forward button. 

Now that we know how we're internally affected by the booze, let's get to understanding the more obvious exterior damage. Particularly with white wine. While we may view our skin as the most telltale sign of our age, it may also be our teeth. We avoid red wine at dinner parties because it instantly stains our lips and teeth, but it is white wine that is the sneaky culprit of longer lasting stains. According to Health, the acid in white wine damages the outermost coverings of our teeth, making them more susceptible to longer lasting stains. This is great information to consider if you want to keep those pearly whites, well, pearly white.

Moving on to the wrinkles. Drinking one too many alcoholic beverages, like white wine, can lead to dehydration which dries out the skin making wrinkles and fine lines more prominent. According to Carol Ann Goodman, a board certified physician, "alcohol also causes blood vessels at the skin's surface to dilate. For intermittent drinkers, this causes temporary skin flushing. However, over time, the capillaries can dilate so much that they actually burst, creating visible red and purple veins, especially across the face and cheeks" (via Huffington Post). We love our nights out! And will continue to toast with our loved ones, but it might be time to stay away from the chardonnay.