Keep Your Skin Healthy By Avoiding These Skin Damaging Habits
Despite your real age, your skin might be telling a different story. If you want to put your best self forward, you can take steps to maintain a youthful appearance by taking great care of the outer and inner layers of your skin, which can change over time due to aging and skin damaging habits. By avoiding some of the worst things for your skin, you can promote positive changes to your skin’s health and appearance.
Enhance your skin further with one of our many rejuvenating and brightening treatments at Ideal Image, which can comprise a personalized treatment plan centered around your needs. Before and after you schedule your free consultation with us, you can keep your skin healthy by AVOIDING these top 9 SKIN SINS.
- Wearing Products Without SPF
If you are going to be outside or have sun exposure for any period of time, you need to be wearing some sort of protection against the harmful UVA and UVB rays of the sun. One of the easiest ways to keep your youthful radiance is to wear sunscreen EVERY day. Sun exposure can lead to wrinkles, dark spots, coarse, uneven texture, and collagen breakdown which contributes to lax, sagging skin, not to mention skin cancer. If you are already starting to see damaged skin that has not been protected from the sun, you may benefit from a customized IPL Photofacial, chemical peel, or Clear + Brilliant® treatment at your local Ideal Image. You may also be a great candidate for some of the other collagen stimulating treatments like microneedling and Ultherapy®.
- Keeping Oily Skin Dehydrated
Oily skin can be the bane of your existence if you do not take the steps to properly moisturize. Since oil already seems slick and wet, it can lead you to believe that the worst thing you can do is give your skin more moisture. However, your skin might be oily because you are not moisturizing it. Dehydrated skin can become more oily as it attempts to moisturize itself. A little bit of non-oil moisturizer like Ultra-Sheer from SkinMedica can go a long way.
- Not Drinking Water Throughout The Day
Not being hydrated is a huge skin sin that many people don’t consider. It is important to stay hydrated in general, but it also keeps your skin hydrated and healthy. Staying hydrated is key for a dewy and plump complexion that does not look oily. Again, being dehydrated can lead to dull and dry skin that is more likely to develop wrinkles. Pores may get bigger, standing out almost as much as acne the longer you go without water. So remember to drink plenty of water throughout the day.
- Eating Too Many Sugary Products
Everyone has a sweet tooth, and it feels good to indulge it every so often. However, too much sugar in the diet can lead to unhealthy skin, so it is a good idea to eat sweets in moderation. Sugar has a major effect on the skin, causing inflammation that leads to swelling and breakouts. Not to mention, sugar breaks down natural collagen in the skin, and since collagen is responsible for the skin staying tight and smooth, it can start to sag. You can replace sugar with complex carbs, healthy fats, and iron-rich foods to start turning the health of your skin around. And with Ultherapy®, you can tighten and lift your skin for a rejuvenated effect without surgery.
- Exfoliating Too Much
Sometimes, it may feel like you get mixed messages about taking care of your skin. Find the right products, but make sure they complement each other. The sun is good for your health, but be sure to protect your skin from the UV rays. Well, here is another skin sin that may surprise you. You can exfoliate your skin, but be very careful not to exfoliate TOO much. When it comes to exfoliating, it is about finding a happy balance. Exfoliation can help you to get rid of dead skin cells that live on the very surface of your skin. It can also do harm to your skin if you exfoliate too intensely. When exfoliating, be sure not to scrub too hard or do it too often. Allow your skin the opportunity to recover before your next exfoliation.
- Smoking
Everyone knows smoking is bad for your health, but it also makes you look older at a much faster rate. Smoking deprives the skin of oxygen and nutrients, which causes your skin to sag really fast. It also causes roughness, dullness, and wrinkling around the mouth and eyes and also casts an overall sallow look to the skin. Smoking can, of course, have long-term effects on your health, contributing to lung damage, and is known to cause at least 16 types of cancer. It also impedes healing, so if you smoke and are pursuing treatments to rejuvenate your skin, you may not respond as expected. If you are looking to make some healthy lifestyle changes, quitting smoking is a great one.
- Using Non-Facial Soap On Your Face
There may be times when you are in a hurry and unable to use the products you prefer. This might lead to you using regular soap, bar soap, or even body wash on your face, which can be more damaging than if you had just skipped a face wash that day. Soap that is not intended for the face can be harsh, have higher pH levels, and strip your skin of natural oils damaging your skin. Remember, the skin on your face is much more sensitive than the skin on the rest of your body.
- Sleeping With Your Makeup
It has happened countless times before: You are tired after a fun night out, and, returning home in the early morning hours, you immediately hit your pillow and fall asleep. But if you can, remember to remove your makeup before you sleep. You will be doing a great service to your skin, as having all that makeup on your face for several hours overnight can cause skin irritation and clogging. Your skin goes through a renewal process while you sleep, and having makeup can interrupt your skin’s attempt to keep itself healthy.
- Not Wearing Your Sunglasses
Cute sunglasses are more than just a fashion statement, so it is imperative that you keep a pair on you at all times. They keep your eyes protected against the damaging UV rays of the sun, which also has a direct effect on your skin. Squinting in bright sunlight can cause you to develop little wrinkles in the corners of your eyes, which will just sink deeper and deeper the longer they go untreated. If you are noticing those crow’s feet starting to creep in, an FDA-approved wrinkle relaxer like Botox® or Xeomin can smooth away those lines and keep your skin wrinkle-free for 3 – 4 months.
Invest In Your Personal Skin Rejuvenation Treatment At Ideal Image
Plenty of everyday habits can be good for your skin, but a lot of daily habits may actually be taking you further away from your goals. If you are ready to soften wrinkles, stimulate collagen, brighten your complexion, and even out skin tone and texture, bringing a more youthful, vibrant, and radiant appearance back to your face, you can easily get started by scheduling a free consultation at your local Ideal Image. All of our treatment options are non-surgical, minimally-invasive, and made to give you lasting results curated around your personal beauty goals.
