For millennia, humanity has been obsessed with the idea of preserving youth for eternity! We’ve tried looking for an elixir and have even given the philosopher’s stone a shot but to no avail. In modern times, we resort to anti-aging cosmetic products and procedures to look forever young.
And the results are promising! However, if you wish to maximize their results, you need to pay careful attention to the habits you have. The reason for that is a few of your habits can counter all the measures you take to avoid the early appearance of wrinkles.
So, if you want youthful skin, make sure you don’t follow the wrinkle-giving habits mentioned below:
1. Frequently Washing Your Face
While washing your face twice a day is a must, anything more than that is overkill. More so when you don’t have combination or oily skin! Also, you shouldn’t use face masks more than twice each week, or use tonics or lotions everyday to cleanse your face. The chemicals in these can dry your skin out and lead to wrinkles.
2. Sleeping Face Down
Ideally, sleeping on your back is the right way to snooze. Sleeping on your tummy with your face touching the pillow can damage your skin, prevent blood circulation, and stop oxygen from flowing to your skin. However, slumbering on your back can keep your skin smooth and soft for a long time to come!
3. Smoking
Smoking is a terrible habit not just for your lungs but also for your skin. Studies show that the tar and nicotine content of cigarettes can age your skin by several years (1), (2)! So, if you’re in the habit, you should quit it right now.
4. Too Much Makeup
Women use makeup to hide wrinkles. What they don’t know is that using too much of it can actually worsen wrinkles! When your face is covered in layers of makeup, it becomes very hard for your facial skin to breathe, which leads to faster aging. Makeup experts say only 3 layers of makeup should be on your face – moisturizer, foundation, and a bit of powder. That’s all.
5. Staring At The Computer Too Long
This also includes mobile devices. The problem in spending too much time with gadgets is that the posture we adopt when using them can harm the skin. Neck wrinkles appear all too commonly due to the bending of the neck to view a screen. Cheeks can also sag. Hence, you should limit your use of gadgets, perform face and neck exercises, and keep your computer screen at a right angle to prevent wrinkles.
6. Staying Close To Heat
It could be a heater or even the heat that emanates from your gas stove. Excessive heat exposure during winters can severely harm your skin and lead to premature aging. To prevent that, you should stay away from heating appliances and hydrate yourself inside out as much as you can.
7. Following A Diet Without Fats
There are bad fats and then there are good fats. In a bid to lose weight, you shouldn’t just mindlessly cut off all kinds of fats from your diet. Good fats that come from fish, nuts, avocados, olive oil, etc. are necessary for maintaining the elasticity of your skin and preventing wrinkles.
8. Regular Hot Showers
Hot showers are just as bad as heating appliances when it comes to your skin’s health. Hot water can dry up your skin and rob it of natural fats that protect the skin from the signs of premature aging. Your bath water’s temperature should never exceed 100°F (37.7°C). Cool showers are beneficial in making your skin stronger, especially if your blood vessels are weak.
9. Popping Zits
The temptation to pop a zit is huge! And the pleasure after popping one is something we can’t deny. However, this is a bad habit you should totally skip if you desire to have wrinkle-free skin. Popping pimples can not only lead to infections but also skin damage, which can lead to both scarring and wrinkling.
10. Chewing Gum All The Time
Some would argue that chewing gum leads to fat loss in the cheeks and hence, helps enhance your beauty. But that’s not entirely true. You see, when you chew gum, you tend to move your jaw a certain way. This constant jaw movement can lead to the appearance of wrinkles where your mouth moves due to the stretching of your skin!
Other habits of yours can also cause wrinkles to appear on your skin. For example, not wearing sunscreen can expose your skin to sun damage and UV-ray-induced aging. Moreover, dirty bed linens can also damage your skin. So can squinting all the time to look at things. Hence, be mindful of these habits and eliminate them from your life if youthful, wrinkle-free skin is your goal!
