Sun, Sand and Sangria
2 Million Britons Head For The Sun This Bank Holiday
The last Bank Holiday of summer is upon us and all those prayers for a decent spell of weather seem to have paid off – sort of! But 2 million of us aren’t risking another disappointment – they have headed off to warmer climes. Great news of course for Easy Jet and Ryan Air, and for the thousands of hotels around the coasts of Majorca, Ibiza, Spain, Turkey, Portugal and Greece. But according to Public Health Minister Gillian Merron, it is not just sun and sand that we are likely to be indulging in as we make the most of this last summer Bank Holiday: many of you may be tempted to overdo the Sangria?
Binge Drinking
Ms Merron’s department recently conducted a survey to see how much alcohol we tend to drink on holiday, and the results are – well rather sobering! It seems Brits on average down 8 alcoholic drinks every day of their summer holidays. Apparently on an average ten day break Britons were shown to consume 227 units of alcohol. Now that is a staggering [no pun intended] amount as it equates to nearly 23 units per day or put another way, a little over 2 bottles of full strength wine per day. The weekly limit for men is 21 units and 14 for women – so this is real binge drinking! Ms Merron warns “it is all too easy to slip into the habit of drinking too much on holiday”.
Alcohol Abuse Reduces Skin Quality
Health Science Reporter feels compelled to add to the usual cautions about avoiding sun burn, with a similar caution about the effects of over doing the booze. Alcohol enlarges the blood vessels in the skin so that over time they can lose their quality or tone, and a permanent redness, a sort of flushing, can colour the face – typically on the cheeks. People suffering from rosacea are particularly vulnerable to this flushing effect if consuming too much alcohol. Over an extended period of time wrinkling, blemishes and blotchy bumps can also reduce skin quality. Alcohol dehydrates the body and washes out vitamins, leaving the skin less able to restore and rebalance its chemistry.
Avoid Giving Your Skin A Long Term Hangover
Most of us enjoy a relaxing drink or two when we are at play – but girls remember – too many relaxing drinks can leave your skin with a long term hangover! Yin Yang Skincare’s Rich Skin Food is a great restorative treat for skin that has suffered as a result of excessive partying – but the levels of indulgence revealed in the recent government survey are likely to lead to long term damage.