This post is dedicated to all women out there, particularly those who are in their 20s and even 30s. In order to flaunt healthy and glowing skin for a long time, you need to take care of your skin right from the 20s. But nowadays, there are a lot of factors that are damaging skin and triggering premature aging, and it would be prudent to tackle them right now before too much damage is done. So, let’s find out how you are damaging your skin without knowing how to deal with it!
1. By Not Protecting Skin From Blue Light: We do know that extended screen time can cause eye strain, but new studies have shown that blue light emitted from gadgets, particularly phone and computer screens can cause cell shrinkage and trigger signs of premature aging, like hyperpigmentation, photoaging, fine lines, dryness, redness, etc. Apart from cutting down on screen time, reducing screen brightness, wear sunscreen full time, even when indoors, and pick a formula with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide because these ingredients do block blue light.
2. By Using Harsh Cleansers To Wash Face: Cleansing your skin twice a day should be a part of your daily routine; however, do make sure you are using a gentle cleanser each time. If you wear heavy makeup, use the Korean Double Cleansing Method. The technique has two steps – oil-based cleansing and water-based cleansing. The two steps revolve around two products – primarily, a cleansing oil/cleansing balm as well as a foaming cleanser. The cleansing oil is supposed to remove all face makeup and any dirt sitting on the surface of the skin. It enables the removal of products that contain oily or waxy elements, commonly found in makeup products and sunscreen.
It also helps in the removal of any sebum present on the surface of the skin. The next step uses cleansing foam to wash off any residual makeup and cleansing oil, to leave the skin feeling squeaky clean. The cleansing foam is water-based, and will thus remove water-based products additionally. The tiny bubbles of the foam penetrate into our pores and bring any dirt, sebum, bacteria, and remaining makeup to the surface and wash out everything.
3. By Not Tapping into the Power of Vitamin C: This is one ingredient everyone should include in their skincare, irrespective of their skin type. From boosting the production of collagen, clearing dark spots and hyperpigmentation, to making skin bright, healthy, and glowing – a good vitamin C serum does it all. And vitamin C serum need not be expensive.
4. By Not Drinking Enough Water: If you aren’t drinking at least eight glasses of water every day, your body may get dehydrated which may cause your skin to look dull and dry. As a result, your body may produce a lot of oil in order to self-hydrate itself which will cause pimples and skin problems. Drinking at least 8 glasses of water would not only hydrate skin, it would also flush out toxins from the body. Believe it or not, water makes a big difference in skin health, and many celebrities swear by it!
5. By Consuming Insane Amounts of Sugar: We are totally unaware of the amount of sugar that we consume on a daily basis, from eating cookies to having desserts after dinner. Sugar raises inflammation in the body and causes collagen and elastin breakdown, which in turn leads to wrinkles and sagging skin. In order to keep looking younger and avoid skin problems, quit added sugar and turn to healthier alternatives such as honey or stevia.
6. By Compromising On Sleep: If you sleep late at night or worse, don’t get at least five hours of sleep, your skin is bound to look dull, and dark circles are guaranteed! You are most likely to experience sallow skin and puffy eyes and your body produces the stress hormone cortisol that breaks skin collagen failing to keep skin smooth and elastic. So, the next time you plan to compromise your sleep for watching shows, try to visualize your skin ten years from now!
7. By Squeezing and Popping Pimples: Picking, touching, or squeezing your skin should be avoided come what may! Popping a pimple or squeezing it may result in a breakout and cause post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation that would take months to fade. Even if you are leaning your face on your hands you tend to transfer the bacteria from your hands and palm onto your face. Popping pimples can also enlarge your pores.
8. By Sharing Makeup with Others: Sharing is caring, but when it comes to sharing makeup with your friends, it’s good to be selfish! You can gently tell your friends that you can’t share your makeup and provide them with a little bit of information about the harmful effects of sharing makeup. Sharing makeup involves a high risk of skin and eye infections. Totally avoid!
9. By Not Sanitizing Phone: Talking on the phone more frequently and for longer hours is one reason most women tend to get acne around their temple and cheek area. Sanitize your phone’s screen regularly to avoid damage to your skin.
10. By Not Keeping a Check on Caffeine: The caffeine content in coffee can dehydrate skin, so cut down on caffeine intake, and limit consumption to 1 or 2 cups a day.
11. By Leading a Sedentary Lifestyle: Believe it or not, nothing can make your skin glow more than a good workout. Regular exercise will make your skin healthy and radiant in the long run too. Exercising daily not only contributes to good health but also good and healthy skin. If you aren’t exercising on a regular basis, you may end up looking old in your early thirties. So, not for anyone else, but yourself…just put on your jogging shoes and go for that long pending run!
12. Not Using a Sunscreen While Stepping Outside: We have already underlined the importance of wearing sunscreen even while using your gadgets, and while indoors. There’s nothing that can damage the skin more than harmful sun rays.
13. Not Moisturizing Enough: Every skin type needs moisturization, even the oiliest one to make skin supple, soft, and healthy. Choose a moisturizer according to your skin type, and moisturize right after the cleansing step, preferably on damp skin to seal in the moisture.
14. Using Fragrance-Based Skincare Products: We often look for paraben-free skincare and makeup products but do not care much about “fragrance” which is one overlooked ingredient that can irritate and cause inflammation not only on sensitive skin but on all skin types. Most of us do not actually mind those nice feel-good fragrances that are added to increase the “feel-good” factor of products; however, they do a great deal of damage to the skin. Both in their synthetic and natural form (essential oils), can potentially irritate and disrupt the delicate pH balance of your skin. That’s why one should make a conscious effort to try and find fragrance-free products to minimize skin irritation.
