Judging from the ubiquitous skincare products available, it’s pretty much apparent how people love to protect and improve their skin. The thing is that sometimes it’s your habits that bring out the worse in your skin in the first place. It’s not because you’re using the wrong brand of lotion or facial cream, it’s because you have these things that you do constantly, which affect your skin in a not-so-positive way.
To make sure you’re doing everything you can to sustain your skin’s health and total wellness, here are 5 habits you could be doing that aren’t good for your skin:
1. Wearing a grumpy face
Being sad generates bad facial posture, which becomes the frown lines. Frowning makes your lips pursed and your facial muscles tense. It’s not something that’ll leave a positive mark on your face. While getting yourself to feel happiness when the odds aren’t that generous can be tough, there’s a trick you can do for your face. Just move your ears back without touching them. You probably can’t do it, but trying certainly helps.
2. Not using sunscreen
In terms of skin aging, sunscreen is a vital part of your everyday life. For one, 90 percent of wrinkles are brought upon by exposure to the sun, while only 10 percent is genetic. Given this, you can actually control how many lines and wrinkles your face gets. The bottom line is that you just have to take care of your skin proactively.
It is recommended to apply a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 daily. It doesn’t even need to be sunny. You need to put it on your skin even during cloudy days. Basically, everything you do outside requires your skin to be protected, thus the use of sunscreen on a regular basis. Read the label of the brand of sunscreen you’re using.
There needs to be a “broad-spectrum” label on it. This means it can shield you against both UVA and UVB rays. The former can cause your skin to tan and cause wrinkles while the latter can burn your skin. Nonetheless, both can contribute to the development of skin cancer.
3. Being fond of sweets
Excessive consumption of sugar can be bad for your skin. This is because too much sugar can accelerate aging through glycation. Technically, sugar assails collagen and elastin. Both are needed by your skin for suppleness and richness. When these are attacked, it can cause your skin to droop and crease.
So, it’s vital to change your food choices if you want to sustain your skin’s health and appearance. Instead of overindulging on candies and other sweets, go for fruits and veggies. Good fats like the ones in salmon can also be great for your skin.
4. Not getting enough sleep
Your skin repairs itself when you sleep. So, you can imagine how constant sleep deprivation can wreak havoc on your skin. Not enough sleep means your skin doesn’t have much time to undergo a restorative process. Those people who have troubles sleeping have more fine lines and an uneven skin tone. They also have less skin flexibility compared with those who sleep well.
Even your skin gets jet lag, too, making it look hollow and sagging. This is also the reason why people who lack sleep look older than their actual age; because their skin takes the fall. If your skin isn’t naturally healthy, it will manifest negatively on how you look physically and that’s something that even make-up cannot totally hide.
Your sleep position is also important. Lying on the side pushes your face forward, producing lines. In this case, it’s good to have a pillow that decreases pressure on the face when you’re sleeping. Generally, it’s better to sleep on your side less.
5. Lighting up
Smoking isn’t just bad news for the heart and lungs; it also spells trouble for your skin, too. When you purse your lips to breathe in, they get lip lines. When the smoke gets near your eyes, they squint and generate crow’s feet. The whole act of smoking basically gives your face lines.
Apart from this, smoking can also increase the risk of getting skin cancers. It leaves your skin pale and it decelerates the healing of wounds as well. When you smoke regularly, you can also expect for the greater likelihood of infections and scars, which include acne scars.
It’s not enough to use expensive creams for your skin’s health and glow. It is also important that you make the necessary lifestyle changes that are causing your skin to suffer and look less radiant. Besides, protecting your skin by shifting to better habits also protect your overall health, too.
