SUN EXPOSURE
Sun is an extensive offender of premature ageing, called photoaging. Sun alone can be a source of up to 90% of skin’s ageing. Ultraviolet rays from the sun can damage skin’s DNA directly by destroying skin collagen and elastin fibre, which are the main origin of firmer and tighter skin. Allows more wrinkles, lines and age spots to develop and boost up the skin’s ageing process even faster. A small portion of the sun is good for us, but too much sun exposure is harmful to the skin, this can lead to the way of melanoma, a life-threatening skin cancer. People who get burned in the sun than tan, tend to have a higher risk of developing skin cancer. I do prefer to wear sunscreen even in the house. However, always use a broad-spectrum sunscreen while stepping outdoors as well as staying indoors.
DEHYDRATION
Desperate loss of body fluid or lack of water in the internal body is dehydration. This can cause illness in the human body such as diarrhoea, vomiting, and sweating. Not only illness, this affects on skin as well. People might experience very dry patches, itchy, scaly, irritated, and possibly dull-looking skin and these can give off the appearance of more visible wrinkles and fine lines. Stay hydrated from the outside as well as from the inside. Drink plenty of water, at least 3 litres in a day. Use hyaluronic acid on your face, it’ll help to keep your skin hydrated, soft and supple.
ELIMINATE SUGAR OR SUGARY FOOD
We all know sugar is bad for us in terms of “blood sugar”. But in terms of skin, there is an equally sad story to be told, especially when you’re in the mid-20s. Excessive sugar can break down skin collagen and elastin fibre. Sugar reacts with protein. When we eat too much sugar or sugary foods or soda, caffeine, and candies, can end up in our bloodstream and come up with the formation of collagen-damaging, which contributes to premature ageing. Creating advanced glycation end-products (AGEs). This happens with each and every organ of the body whether it is skin, nerves, brain, kidneys, eyes or heart. These substances cause skin to be wrinkled and cell structures to harden. Thus, it is important to eliminate sugar from the diet.
INSUFFICIENT SLEEP
Insufficient sleep has become a global outbreak. However, it is also associated with premature ageing. As I’ve mentioned earlier, collagen is responsible for firmness and tightness in the skin, night is the best time when the skin produces new collagen itself, while we sleeping, rejuvenate skin cells from the inside and remove a damaged layer from the outside in a natural process. Poor quality sleep can reduce skin elasticity, and uneven skin tone, and can make the eyes area visibly puffy. Research shows that 7 hours of good sleep in a day is ideal. If you wake up tired during the day, this can be a sleep disorder, and you should visit a doctor.
CARBOHYDRATES
Of course body needs carbohydrates, but choosing the wrong carbs can make you age faster. For example white refined carbs, white rice, white breads, and wheat flour. Research shows wheat speeds up the ageing process of the body because it contains a compound called AGEs (advanced glycation end-products). Overconsumption of wheat can lead to cell damage and diabetes and accelerate ageing even faster.
SMOKING
It is already a well-known fact that smoking affects all the body organs but a less common side-effect is that it also speeds up the normal ageing process of the skin, resulting in premature wrinkles. There are many prospective explanations for smoking’s effects on the skin. One of the major effects of smoking on the skin is it hits on skin’s collagen production. Smoking increases the production of a type of enzyme that breaks down collagen bonding, reduces skin elasticity, and leads to the way of premature ageing. Lines and wrinkles can be seen around of mouth area and under the eye. Another important effect is on your blood vessels. Regular smoking constricts blood vessels and that reduces blood supply to your skin and the skin gets less oxygen than standard. Quitting smoking will benefit your overall health.
ALCOHOL
Alcohol is connected to premature ageing. You have to old too fast if you drink alcohol licitly. Heavy drinks can hit certain parts of the body. With age, we have less water in our bodies. Drinking alcohol religiously can pull out more water from the inside of our body and can make skin dehydrated. Also when we get older, our skin gets thinner and drier, which is normal. Drinking alcohol can make skin drier, and dry, and dehydrated skin gets older than normal. Consuming alcohol not only affects on skin but also slows down the brain’s power, affects the heart and weakens the immune system.
STRESS
Excessive stress leads to a constant increase level of a stress hormone, called cortisol. Research has found that a high amount of cortisol can break down the skin’s collagen and elastin fibre also chronic stress can increase inflammation, causing skin ageing and accelerating the formation of wrinkles.
AVOID FACIAL EXPRESSIONS
Each time we use a facial movement or expression such as squinting or smiling, laughing, or winding, we are contracting the underlying muscles. If we repeatedly contract the same muscles for many years and many times, these lines become permanent.
OVER-EXFOLIATION
Exfoliation is good for healthy skin but not over-exfoliation. Too much exfoliation using too many chemical peels, or scrubbing too hard with an exfoliator can cause inflammation, dryness and the formation of wrinkles. Exfoliate skin loses the ability to absorb or retain moisturiser on the skin and the effects of your rest skincare product will decrease. Exfoliation twice a week is enough.
TOO MUCH MAKEUP
Regular use of too much makeup can lead to early ageing of the skin. Using a high-end or full-coverage foundation or talc base makeup, especially on dry skin, can accelerate dry skin and form wrinkles and lines. Also using makeup, which is separately oil-based, can clog the skin’s pores and turn into acne, and pimples. It is important to remove a high amount of chemical-formulated mascara every time before going to bed, otherwise, it can create wrinkles and fine lines under the eye area. Not removing makeup properly before going to bed can also trigger premature ageing.
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