There are many day-to-day, otherwise harmless habits that can contribute to long-term negative consequences on your skin. Stopping some or all of these habits will prevent future appearances of aging regardless of your actual age.
Not everybody does all of these things, but the more you repeat these habits, the higher your risk of wrinkling prematurely. We will list these "bad habits" with a few comments on each:
- Not Wearing Sunscreen- We all need to wear broad spectrum sunscreen of at least SPF 30 every day, rain or shine.
- Smoking- Enough said. Sun and smoking are the worst double whammies for your skin.
- Not Getting Enough Sleep- Lower amounts of sleep time and poor sleep quality accelerate skin aging by decreasing your skin's ability to repair itself at night.
- Eating Too Many Sweets- Increased carbohydrate and sugar intake causes blood sugar spikes and release of excess insulin. This cascade increases inflammation within the skin when sugar binds to collagen and elastin fibers, thus weakening them.
- Going to Bed with Makeup Still On- As important as sleep is, falling asleep without washing off your makeup first can cause blocked pores, prohibiting the skin's recover from free radical exposure from the day.
Using Straws Too Much- For all those iced coffee lovers, the repeated motion of puckering your lips when drinking from a straw is very similar to the motions effect on smokers. Stop the straw use and it will be better for both the environment and your skin.- Too Much Stress- In this past year of COVID, stress has been an everpresent feature of our lives. Stress increases levels of cortisol, which is a stress hormone that can accelerate the aging process. Exercise and meditation can reduce these levels while also being very healthy for your body and your skin.
- Not Drinking Enough Water- Your skin needs water just like your kidneys and other organs do. Too little water intake causes your skin to dry up and become more wrinkled. Drink water throughout the day to keep your skin hydrated from the inside out.
- Not Moisturizing- Even if you are drinking enough, the skin can become dry from loss of fluid through pores, especially in low humidity conditions as we see during the winter months. Daily use of moisturizers acts to trap moisture within the skin, thus reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Decreasing as many of these habits as you can will decrease incrementally your risk of developing wrinkles before your time. We at Maine Laser Skin Care have a team of medical and aesthetic professionals who help you get your best skin possible by treating problems that may develop and preventing others.
If you would like an individualized plan of care for your skin, please call our Scarborough office at (207) 303-0125 or our Augusta office at (207) 873-2158 to schedule this initial free evaluation. We can start you on the road to your best skin possible.