Your skin is the largest organ in your body, and how you treat it will play a significant role in your appearance. Maintaining smooth and radiant skin will require additional effort as you grow older. Also, some bad habits make you age faster, and you must stop these practices as soon as possible. In this article, you will learn about the seven most common practices that make you age faster and affect the appearance of your skin, especially your face.
Seemingly Harmless Practices That Are Aging Your Skin
Below are some of the most common practices you need to stop if you want to improve the quality of your skin.
Bathing with Extremely Hot or Cold Water
You may love hot showers, especially when it is winter. However, studies show that extremely hot showers aren’t great for the skin. Waters that are heated or cooled extremely may irritate your skin and lead to unnecessary dryness. Extremely cold showers are also equally harmful to the skin, especially sensitive areas like the face. Experts believe that warm water is the best temperature for washing your body, especially your face. Also, over washing your body every day will eventually make it hard for you to retain moisture. As for frequency, washing your face twice a day is just fine. Once you wake up, take a shower, and another time before you go to bed.
Letting Sweat Dry Up on Your Face
After a high-intensity workout or a brisk walking session that leads to sweating, you may be tempted to lie down and take a nap as soon as you get home. This would be a mistake. You must wash off sweat immediately after you finish the activity that made you sweat. If you work out at the gym, use the bathroom to rinse off the sweat. Allowing sweat to dry up on your face all the time will eventually lead to skin irritations that can lead to wrinkles. If you do not want to use the bathroom at the gym, at least rinse your face in the powder room. You can get a proper bath as soon as you get home or when you get to the office, if possible.
Doing Ultrasonic Facial Cleaning Too Often
Ultrasonic facial cleaning is a great treatment option that helps to make your skin smoother and tighter. If you have the ultrasonic facial cleanser at home, you can use it to clean your face several times a week. However, using this great tool daily may cause more harm than good, especially for delicate skin. If you irritate your skin using ultrasonic facial cleansers at home, consider booking an appointment with a skincare professional. The clinician will know how to help you get the desired results without causing unnecessary irritation. They may also recommend an ideal option for you.
Scrubbing Your Face with Items
You need to wash your skin thoroughly to remove debris and dirt. However, the sensitive nature of your face makes it delicate, so using a washcloth or sponge to scrub your face as you bathe is a bad idea. Scrubbing may not cause any short-term irritation. However, it will deprive the face of much-needed moisture. Scrubbing with sponges, washcloths, or your hands is a form of exfoliation. While exfoliation is great for your skin, doing it more than three times a week can lead to early wrinkles and other skin-related challenges. Avoid scrubbing altogether and exfoliate occasionally with the right product and your fingers.
Using Alcohol-based Products on Your Face
In the past, a lot of face creams and serums were alcohol-based. However, cosmetic research reveals that there may be better products for the skin, especially the face. Alcohol is typically labeled as denatured ethanol on skin care products, so look out for it before making purchases. Read the labels on your face care items to ensure that there are no traces of alcohol. Alcohol is terrible for your skin because it dries it up quickly over time. This leads to skin tightness, wrinkles, or even eczema in some people. It also makes it hard for moisturizers to penetrate your skin. Most facial cleansers contain alcohol, but it is possible to find mild products without them.
Leaving Makeup On for Too Long
Makeup is great for enhancing your appearance, but leaving it on too long, especially while sleeping with it, can speed up collagen breakdown. Collagen breakdown occurs faster as you age. The last thing you want to do is speed up the process. When you return from an event, wash off the makeup with a face cleansing gel. Some people prefer to wipe their makeup off, but this has complications. Constantly wiping your face may be too aggressive for your skin. It can lead to over pigmentation and early wrinkles. If you must use a wipe, be as gentle as possible and wipe in a circular motion.
Not Using Sunscreen
The right sunscreen doesn’t just protect you from sunburn, which reduces your risk of cancer. It does significantly more than this. You damage your blood vessels and skin cells whenever you get sunburned. With time, this damage can lead to visible signs of early aging. It can also lead to skin discoloration and make your skin look leathery all the time. It is also important that you get a high-quality sunscreen suitable for your skin tone and texture. Go for water-based sunscreens that are rich in vitamin D and have an SPF of at least 30. Do not use sunscreen that sits on your skin. It should be absorbed directly into your skin within a few seconds of application.
Conclusion
As seen on the list above, too much of a good thing can be bad. As you take care of your skin, make sure you avoid these mistakes that age you faster. Follow a simple but effective skincare routine and abide by it religiously. With time, you should be able to reverse the rapid aging.
*If it doesn’t work, consult a clinician for more aggressive treatments.