Your skin is beautiful. Over time, you may notice that your skin starts to lose some of its elasticity and shine, turning it into a rough and wrinkly surface that may cause a dip in your self-confidence. But don’t fret, because there are many things you can do to treat your skin well and keep it looking young no matter how old you are. Avoid these worst habits that age your skin.
Worst Habits that Age Your Skin
The key to keeping your skin healthy is to engage in a daily routine of care while avoiding some common habits that can actually age your skin more rapidly. Here are some of the worst habits that age your skin that your local expert in cosmetic dermatology wants you to know about.
Lack of Sleep
It is no secret that a good night’s sleep can make you feel refreshed and revitalized in the morning. But getting ample sleep is actually vital to your health, and can have some serious effects on the health of your skin. Your skin renews itself overnight while you sleep, and a lack of sleep can interrupt this natural healing cycle. If you find that you are getting poor sleep and your skin quality is deteriorating, there might be a stronger link than you think.
Too Much Stress
A little bit of stress in life is healthy and can even push you to be your best self. But too much stress has too many negative health effects to even list here. Stress causes your body to produce a hormone known as cortisol, which is the hormone responsible for “aging” your body. Cortisol breaks down collagen, causing the skin to sag and wrinkles to form all along its surface. Too much cortisol can also cause inflammation, which makes the skin swell.
UV Damage
Everyone loves to spend their summer days out in the sun, and soaking up those warm rays can give you a healthy dose of Vitamin D. However, too much sun exposure without any SPF protection can severely damage your skin. The sun’s UV rays can do particularly rough damage to your face and neck, causing the skin in these areas to get wrinkled and tough as time goes on. Make sure to invest in some sunscreen to keep your skin moisturized and strong against the powerful sun.
Constant Eye Rubbing
This might seem like an odd way to speed up the skin’s aging process, but it’s true that rubbing your eyes can put a lot of stress on the thin layers of skin surrounding your visual organs. In fact, rubbing your eyes stimulates the production of under-eye bags and dark circles, which many people associate with old age. In order to prevent looking or feeling unhealthy, invest in a skincare routine that prioritizes the areas around your eyes and mouth.
Drinking from a Straw
Drinking out of a straw is a common activity when consuming certain types of beverages. Whether you are sipping on your favorite soda, enjoying a cocktail, or slurping a milkshake after a meal, you are very familiar with using straws while you drink. However, this activity causes you to constantly purse your lips, which flexes the muscles around your mouth. Doing too much of this can cause the skin to crease, adding wrinkles and fine lines to parts of your body where you don’t want them to be.
Get Healthy Skin Today
The Lombardi Institute of Dermatology encourages a lifetime of healthy skin through a series of professional anti-aging treatments. Get in touch with one of our skincare experts to schedule a personal consultation and we will help you get to the bottom of your aging skin problems. Feel refreshed and rejuvenated after our skincare treatments which are built to reduce wrinkles and increase overall elasticity.