Everyone wants to have flawless skin. Some enjoy beautiful skin by nature; others adopt a good skin care regime. The key is in maintaining the skin.There are some bad habits that we adopt, knowingly or unknowingly that cause severe damage to our skin.
Here is a list of habits that you can kick in the butt:
- Smoking-Smoking kills the oxygen in the body. It not only dries the skin but also leads to premature wrinkles and loss of elasticity of the skin. Stop smoking and see the difference.
- Not removing makeup-Makeup clogs pores. To make matters worse, if you sleep with it, there are chances of developing a bacterial infection. No matter how tired you are, wipe off every last bit of makeup on your skin.
- Lack of sleep-Getting your basic daily dose of 8 hours of sleep a day is a must. Lack of sleep can let our skin look dull and also cause the appearance of dark circles under the eyes. A good night’s sleep will prevent the body from producing skin damaging stress hormones.
- Insufficient fluid intake-Water helps in cleansing the body and flushing out toxins. Drink lots of water to keep your body healthy and your skin hydrated.
- Harsh scrubbing-Scrubbing or exfoliation in moderation is good for your skin, as it removes the dead skin cells on the surface. But excessive harsh scrubbing can lead to the removal of essential oils on the skin and even cause breakouts.
- Too many products-As important as it is to have a skin care regime, it is also equally important to limit ourselves to basic products required by our skin. Using too many products on our skin can lead to skin irritation.
- Caffeine-Try to avoid drinking beverages containing caffeine as they tend to fry out the skin. So to keep those wrinkles at bay, drink lots of water and tone down your consumption of caffeine.
- Harsh diets-Depriving your body of the required nutrition results makes your body age faster. Sudden weight loss results in skin losing its elasticity. Skin needs certain vitamins and minerals to make it glow, so when you reduce your intake of food, it affects the skin as well. Try to eat lots of citrus food, peanuts and avocados to make your skin glow.
- Popping pimples-Popping pimples not only cause scars but they can also lead to a bacterial infection. So leave those zits alone and keep your hands to yourself.
- Hot water baths-Hot water baths are good once in a while. But when they are taken too frequently, they dry out the skin by removing the essential oils present on the skin.
- Talking on the phone-Talking on the phone might seem like a harmless act, but the fact is that since we use it so often without cleaning, we land up rubbing on a lot of the bacteria present on the handset to our faces.
- Excessive salt and sugar intake-Cut down on foods containing excessive sugar and salt, as they dry out the skin. As a matter of fact collagen of the skin gets damaged by excessive sugar intake. So control the salt and sugar in your diet for healthy hydrated skin.
- Stress-Stress can cause your skin to react in a negative manner. If stress continues unchecked for a long period, it can lead to thinning of the skin and also cause wrinkles.
- Drinking too much alcohol-Alcohol consumption leads to premature aging of the skin. Apart from drying the skin, it also strips your skin of its natural oils. So limit your alcohol intake for that glowing radiant look.
- Sitting in a sauna or air-conditioned room-Give your skin adequate fresh air, sitting in an air-conditioned room or in a sauna can cause the skin to dry out.
- Not using sun screen-Sun screen protects us from the ultraviolet rays of the sun. So do not forget to smother yourself in sunscreen, in summer and winter, to protect your skin from any damage caused by the UV rays of the sun.
So if you want to be the proud owner of healthy looking skin, ditch these habits that can damage your skin.
Written by: Rasha Ashraf
