10 Bad Habits That Age Your Skin
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Skin Sin #1: Skipping Sunscreen
This may seem pretty obvious, but not wearing sunscreen on a daily basis (yes, even when it's cloudy, snowy or rainy outside) is prematurely aging your delicate skin. The sun is the biggest culprit when it comes to skin aging. And though sunlight provides some great health benefits, protecting yourself from skin-damaging UV rays is essential to keeping your skin healthy and looking youthful.
When browsing for sunblock, look for a broad-spectrum product which deflects both types of harmful UV rays--UVA and UVB. You should also make sure to choose sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 in order for it to work its skin-protecting magic.
Source
Skin Cancer Foundation, "Understanding UVA and UVB," www.skincancer.org, accessed on April 17, 2013.
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Skin Sin #2: Noshing on Junk Food
You really are what you eat! And much like your body can change depending on the foods you choose, your skin can actually show what you're noshing on, too. For example, sugary foods can cause wrinkles due to a natural process called glycation. When this occurs too often, your skin's collagen and elastin diminish, which results in dryness and sagging. Not to mention, big spikes in blood sugar can also cause blemishes. Fast foods and processed foods containing trans fats and excess sodium that can accelerate cellular aging, too. When this happens, dead skin cells don't shed as quickly which then produces dull, tired-looking skin.
So before you chow down on that double-decker cheeseburger, opt for tasty whole foods that contain healthy vitamins and good-for-you oils--and don't forget to drink plenty of water! Eating right will keep you full on less food, plus your skin will glow
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Skin Sin #3: Drinking a Lot of Alcohol
While some alcoholic beverages offer certain health benefits (think antioxidants found in red wine), drinking too much can cause your skin to age prematurely. Alcohol is a diuretic, so drinking one too many can lead to dryer, duller-looking skin and cause wrinkles. And if you drink a lot more than a few cocktails or beers, broken blood vessels will occur which leave your skin with permanent patches of redness. Excessive drinking can also make you gain weight and damage your liver. And if your liver can’t do its job of flushing toxins out of your system, the nasty things will stay put and eventually rise to the surface of your skin resulting in blemishes and a blotchy complexion.
Still want to imbibe but keep your skin looking soft and supple? Make sure to limit your drinking to one drink per day if you’re a woman, and just two if you’re a man.
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Skin Sin #4: Too Much Tanning
Getting some sun is healthy when you protect yourself with a good sunscreen, but laying out for hours in order to get a beachy, bronzed look will age your skin and cause your risk of skin cancer to skyrocket. Worse yet, tanning beds are more dangerous to your health and skin due to their higher concentration of harmful UVA rays.
To get that gorgeous golden look safely, look for healthier options like self-tanning creams and sprays you can use at home.
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Skin Sin #5: Stressing Out
Want to look younger? Stop. Worrying. Sometimes, tossing stress aside is much easier said than done, but over time, skin can age from too many stressful thoughts which then turn into frowns--and frown lines! Plus, excess stress can harden your arteries, increase your blood pressure and make you feel downright sick and miserable.
To combat daily stressors and leave your skin smooth (and the rest of your body feeling great), keep worries in check by practicing some light yoga, heading to the gym for some gentle exercise and committing to other healthy relaxation techniques.
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Skin Sin #6: Smoking Cigarettes
Need another reason to finally kick the habit? Well, those smoke breaks are aging your skin--big time. Even if you’re not a smoker, just being around others who smoke can cause your skin to age rather quickly. The chemicals and toxins in cigarette smoke deplete skin of Vitamin C, making it dry and wrinkly. Plus, we all know that smoking can cause certain cancers and other health problems, so do yourself, your loved ones and your skin a favor by taking the steps to quit right now.
Source
Hoffman, Matthew. "Aging Skin: Do You Look Older than You Should," WebMD, accessed on April 17, 2013.
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Skin Sin #8: Yo-Yo Dieting
Though we all know that yo-yo dieting is unhealthy, it might surprise you that it can also cause wrinkles and premature skin aging. If you spend many years losing and gaining back large amounts of weight, your skin will show it, as this unhealthy act creates a loss of youthful volume in the face and continual stretching of facial ligaments.
Instead of going on crash diets to lose weight here and there, you should always opt for eating healthy foods and exercising regularly to lose pounds gradually. This will also help you maintain a healthy weight. And when you make healthy lifestyle changes, you’ll feel better and happier no matter your size--plus your higher energy levels will make you look even younger!
Source
Shaw, Gina. "Is Your Diet Aging You??" WebMD, accessed on April
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Skin Sin #9: Wearing Your Makeup to Bed
It’s late. You just got home at 2 a.m. from an evening event that followed a long day of work. You’re just so tired that you plop down on your bed only to wake up the next morning to a pillowcase stained with lipstick, foundation and mascara. Hey, we’ve all been there. But your pillowcase isn’t the only thing that needs a serious washing! When you sleep in your makeup, it has an entire eight hours to sink deep into your skin. And those environmental toxins and free radicals that your skin was exposed to throughout the day all stick around, which results in a breeding ground for harmful bacteria, clogged pores and dry, flaky skin, too.
If you had just taken a few minutes to wash your face before bed, your skin would’ve been able to repair itself overnight while producing natural moisturizers and vitamins essential to keeping your face looking young and fresh. So, wash it off every night--no excuses!
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Skin Sin #10: Skimping on Sleep
Not only can lack of adequate sleep each night hinder weight loss, but it can also make your skin age faster. If you sleep the way you did while you were in college, you’ll end up with dark circles, puffy eyes and a lackluster complexion. Plus, inadequate amounts of sleep can actually cause stress--which you now know is another factor of premature skin aging. Getting eight hours of shut-eye each night is vital to your skin’s health. You see, stress hormones will drop as you dream, which will give your skin cells the time they need to rejuvenate.
Need some help getting sleep? Click here for hidden ways to get better sleep tonight.
Source
Hendrick, Bill. "Lack of Sleep Hurts Your Looks," WebMD Health News, accessed April 17, 2013.
10 Bad Habits That Age Your Skin
Written By: Natalie Nichols, Health & Beauty Writer
Keeping aging skin looking young isn’t an easy task. And while genetics and environmental factors play a large role in how we age, there are still some bad habits you should break in order to keep your skin as healthy and youthful as possible. Find out which of the top 10 skin sins you’re committing, and the simple ways you can avoid them.
Start Slideshow
Skin Sin #1: Skipping Sunscreen
This may seem pretty obvious, but not wearing sunscreen on a daily basis (yes, even when it's cloudy, snowy or rainy outside) is prematurely aging your delicate skin. The sun is the biggest culprit when it comes to skin aging. And though sunlight provides some great health benefits, protecting yourself from skin-damaging UV rays is essential to keeping your skin healthy and looking youthful.
When browsing for sunblock, look for a broad-spectrum product which deflects both types of harmful UV rays--UVA and UVB. You should also make sure to choose sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 in order for it to work its skin-protecting magic.
Source
Skin Cancer Foundation, "Understanding UVA and UVB," www.skincancer.org, accessed on April 17, 2013.
