Are you doing things that are inadvertently ruining your skin? We would be lying if we said we weren’t concerned about looking as young and healthy as possible, and as the body’s largest organ, the skin can often be a good indication of how well we are taking care of ourselves, inside and out. What we eat, environmental factors and even what kind of pillowcases we sleep on can all affect how our skin looks.
Here are 6 ways we may be treating our skin with less care than we should:
1. Skipping the sunscreen. It seems like not using sunscreen to protect the skin from UV damage is the new smoking. Add in actually smoking and using tanning beds and you’ve hit the top 3 ways you can accelerate the aging of your skin.
2. Overdoing it on chemical peels or abrasive treatments. It’s possible to have too much of a good thing. Although chemical peels, microdermabrasions and exfoliation can bring a youthful glow to the skin, doing any one of those too often will more than likely result in skin that’s red, irritated and more sensitive to the sun. Find a dermatologist or skin care technician that you trust who will be honest with how often you should get treatments as well as how realistic the results will be.
3. Squeezing pimples. Who hasn’t been guilty of this one, especially when there isn’t enough concealer in the world to cover up the blemish? Although we may think that by popping a zit, it will speed up the healing process, what we are actually doing is opening up our skin to dirt and bacteria. One word: resist!
4. Stressing out. This may be the toughest habit to stop. Studies have shown a clear link between stress, which elevates levels of cortisol, and skin-related problems such as eczema, rosacea, psoriasis and even hair loss. There’s truth to that line in the movie “The Holiday” where Cameron Diaz’s character says that stress makes women look haggard. Stress may unfortunately be an unavoidable part of modern-day life, but we can control how we deal with it.
5. Using too strong a cleanser. We all love multi-tasking and saving a step or two, but honestly, if the bar of soap in the shower is strong enough to clean your body, it should be kept far away from the delicate skin on your face. Ideally, reach for a gentle, soap-free cleanser that is suited to your skin type and condition. Our go-to right now? Apothekari’s AHA-Mazing Clean triple-action cleansing gel.
6. Indulging in too much sugar. The link between sugar consumption and the aging process is a relatively new one. When there is excess sugar in the body, a process called glycation begins, causing collagen and elastin molecules to become hard and stiff and robbing them of the flexibility that gives us firm, plump skin. Sugar, as sweet as it is, essentially speeds up the appearance of aging in our skin and body.
Not smiling for 40 years to avoid wrinkles may be a tad overkill, but to preserve our skin, we’re willing to at least give up our afternoon cookie treat.
