Alcohol Blushing & Rosacea

Alcoholic beverages cause facial redness in a number of ways:

It is a diuretic which causes dehydration, skin dryness and skin redness

It is high in sugar content, metabolizes quickly to produce a high energy burn, causing vascular dilation and resulting skin flushing and redness

Beers, ales and wine may cause an allergy induced facial redness because alcohol is processed through fermentation and these beverages are not distilled as other types of alcohol are

To reduce or minimize the effects of alcohol flushing, drink domestic beers rather than foreign beers.  Foreign beers are packaged with more preservatives and cause more redness.  Light beers contain fewer carbs and a reduced alcohol content making it less likely to result in skin redness.  When drinking wine, white wine causes less flushing then red wine.  Wines have a high sugar content and are processed with sulfides/preservatives. Gin, whiskey or vodka diluted with ice or water are the least likely to cause facial redness and flushing.