For richer and puffier? In puffiness and in health?
July 19, 2008 5:50 AM   Subscribe

What is the best way to dehydrate - loose excess water in a couple of hours? Had too many beers last night. Getting married today. Face is puffy. Help!!!
posted by barrakuda to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (14 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
Sauna?
posted by knile at 5:54 AM on July 19, 2008


I think you'd be better off REhydrating. Drinking a lot of water will help flush the alcohol toxins out of your system. Alcohol is diuretic and you're probably dehydrated.
posted by Frank Grimes at 6:00 AM on July 19, 2008 [2 favorites]


More water (to help body detox), plus some nice sweaty exercise?

Failing that, and assuming you're female, a little bronzer dusted on at the temples and cheekbones will give your face more definition.
posted by Bardolph at 6:04 AM on July 19, 2008


yeah, you actually need to rehydrate. drink a half-and-half mix of sports drink and water, until you are peeing a lot. then you're good.

as for your face, a cool, damp wash cloth will help. a bit of preparation h under your eyes will reduce the puffiness.
posted by thinkingwoman at 6:06 AM on July 19, 2008


I've had good luck removing the puffiness with lots of water intake and a little time. If you normally workout, and feel OK a good sweat may help, it'll also help you focus on the day - just don't go overboard and be sure to cool down and de-stress. Get started soon, and remain cool and calm. thinkingwoman is right on mixing sports drinks with water, you don't want the full strength sugar and salt they have, just enough to rebalance you system.

Have fun today. I've never walked down the isle myself, but I have gotten a few grooms drunk the night before, they all turned out fine on the day.
posted by Science! at 6:26 AM on July 19, 2008


...as for your face, a cool, damp wash cloth will help.

Also -- place a bag of frozen peas on your face for 5 - 10 minutes. Really, it works.
posted by ericb at 6:28 AM on July 19, 2008


Congratulations! In addition to what everyone above has said, I also recommend a couple advil... just for good measure.

Good luck!
posted by Mookbear at 6:34 AM on July 19, 2008


A brisk walk will help. Drink coffee; caffeine stimulates kidneys, bladder, etc.

Mazel tov!
posted by theora55 at 6:47 AM on July 19, 2008


You don't need a diuretic - alcohol is a diuretic. It suppresses the action of a hormone (ADH) that causes your body to maintain fluid balance - so when you start drinking, you pee more, and lose more fluids from your body. But when you are done drinking and the hangover sets in, that hormone temporarily steps up production to re-establish balance - so your body aggressively retains water, resulting in puffiness.

The solution is not less water, which keeps your body in the position of continually working to regain water, but more water. Saturate yourself with a glass of water every half hour or so (don't quaff it, that can mess you up) until you are peeing a lot, as thinkingwoman said. You should look and feel better then. The cool compresses should help too.
posted by Miko at 7:07 AM on July 19, 2008


Anyone who's been on a low-carb diet will tell you that carbohydrates are responsible for retaining quite a bit of water in your body. Do like a bodybuilder preparing for a competition: eat only proteins and fats for the rest of the day, and minimize your salt intake. Caffeine should help too. Have some sugary food/drink ready just in case you get light-headed and need a quick pick-me-up.
posted by rxrfrx at 7:27 AM on July 19, 2008


Put a little preparation H under your eyes.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 8:04 AM on July 19, 2008 [1 favorite]


Work out really hard. I always lose a lot of the puffiness in my face after a really hard cardio workout. Good luck!
posted by gt2 at 8:12 AM on July 19, 2008


Also, tea bags (wet them, then wring them out) on your (closed) eyes for 15 minutes can help with the puffiness around the eyes.
posted by Pax at 8:49 AM on July 19, 2008


Some of your inlaws might have some furosemide. I'd never recommend taking 20 mg of furosemide as a single dose after a night of drinking, as in the process of removing free fluid from your body including your skin, it might alter your blood chemistry a little bit.
posted by ikkyu2 at 1:45 PM on July 19, 2008


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