The 6 telltale physical traits of a heavy drinker – from brittle hair to skin blotches

MOST people enjoy a drink from time to time - out with dinner, after a long day at work or celebrating.

But knowing when to stop, and not relying on the booze to get through the day is key.

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Heavy drinkers can think they don't have a problem as they are not alcoholics, but the impact on health can still be great even if you don't have an addiction.

Signs can be seen in the skin and body of people who drink too much, so it's worth keeping an eye on the people you love.

There are six physical telltale indicators that mean you or a loved on is a heavy drinker, and should consider cutting down.

Wrinkles

Alcohol causes your body to lose water, which makes you dehydrated.

This affects the skin, making it sag and wrinkle.

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So even if you take great care of your skin, if you drink a lot you will have wrinkled skin.

It can also make your skin look older as the way the body detoxifies alcohol - by diverting nutrients to you liver instead of the skin.

And by disrupting sleep alcohol also impacts your skin that way, by interrupting the time it would usually take to repair.

Brittle hair and nails

This is another side effect of dehydration.

It can leave nails brittle and cracked, with long-term heavy drinking leading to hair thinning and loss.

This can also happen due to malnourishment if people are mostly consuming alcohol.

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Red face

Alcohol is an inflammatory substance, which can irritate all sort of body parts.

On the face it can cause a condition called rosacea, which produces redness on the cheeks.

It can also cause acne-like bumps, and for people with darker skin it can present as stinging or burning.

Beer belly

People who drink a lot will get a podgy stomach - and it's not just reserved for beer drinkers.

Even people who have a lot of more lightweight drinks like spirits and mixers will end up with a belly eventually.

This is because booze increases estrogen production and decreases testosterone, which is linked to fat then developing around the torso in men.

This type of fat doesn't respond as well to exercise, according to experts, and only really sheds when you change your level of drinking.

Stained teeth

Acid in alcohol destroys tooth enamel, which then allows colour from the drink to stain.

Even if you clean your teeth vigorously each night after drinking, the stain will set in eventually.

And over time this can cause bigger problems than unsightly teeth, as it can spark gum disease, tooth decay, mouth sours and oral cancer.

Yellow tint

This is a more serious sign, which is a red flag of liver disease or damage.

It happens when the liver is no longer able to filter out a yellow-orange substance in the blood.

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It then shows up in the skin, and is quite noticeable in the whites of the eyes.

Making a lifestyle change can treat liver disease if it's early enough, but often a liver transplant is needed.