8 Things That Can Be Bad for Your Skin

Skin care is not just about external treatment; rather, your lifestyle affects the way your skin looks just as much as what products you use on it. That’s why we’ve come up with these 8 things that can be bad for your skin. A lot of these can be monitored (e.g. think about moderation), but some of these are everyday activities or lifestyle choices that will make you think twice about your daily routines. Read below to find out what things can be bad for your skin:

1. Salt: Too much salt may cause inflammation and can aggravate acne.
2. Sugar: Sugar triggers insulin-production, which makes skin look porous and prone to blemishes. Sugar also breaks down collagen and elastin, which makes skin look firm, so too much sugar may cause wrinkles and dullness overtime.
3. Caffeine: Caffeine is a dehydrating agent, and causes skin to look oiler, ruddier, and makes pores larger.
4. Alcohol: Surprisingly, some alcohols are considered a starch (Vodka comes from potatoes, beer is from fermented wheat). Starches have equivalent affects to sugar consumption, since it also triggers insulin-production.
5. Not Drinking Enough Water: The human body is made up of about 60% water, and varies based on age, weight, health, and gender. Water allows the body’s cells to regenerate, and when you are dehydrated (by the items above or otherwise), your skin ends up looking dull. Make sure for every caffeinated or alcoholic drink to drink a glass of water alongside it so you don’t lose your glowing skin.
6. Not Enough Sleep: Your body repairs itself at night while you sleep, so going to sleep early will help. Sometimes, people try to lull themselves to sleep with their TV on or looking at their phone until they feel sleepy. This actually has the opposite effects, because the bright screens suppress melatonin, the hormone that makes you sleepy. When your melatonin levels drop, your skin shows it by looking duller and exposing fine lines due to your skin cells being deprived of the time they need to regenerate.
7. Talking On Your Phone: Throughout the day, your phone is carried and placed on many different surfaces, meaning whatever free radicals in the environment interact with that surface end up on your phone, which ends up on your jawline and cheek, causing breakouts and rashes.
8. Touching/Picking Your Face: Just like your phone, your hands interact with a lot of surfaces, so you’re transferring that bacteria to your face every time you touch it. Picking at acne with unclean hands can infect the pore, making for an acne scar or potentially more breakouts. Just make sure to wash your hands thoroughly before touching your face, and try to see an expert when it comes to acne to find out what treatments are available for stubborn pimples and/or blackheads.

Like I said, a lot of these things can be resolved via monitoring them: limiting your caffeine intake or TV time before bed can make a huge difference in how your skin looks overtime. I think that once you take these things into precaution, you’ll notice the benefits from the inside out!

SOURCES

Anonymous. “32 Surprising Things That Ruin Your Skin.” Good Housekeeping. <http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/beauty/anti-aging/tips/g1273/surprising-things-ruin-skin/>

Devine, Catherine. “10 Bad Skin Habits to Kick.” Allure.com <http://www.allure.com/skin-care/2014/bad-skin-habits-to-avoid – slide=1>

Dr. Lancer. “5 Easy-To-Implement Tips from Younger.” Dr. Lancer Blog. <https://www.lancerskincare.com/blog/5-easy-to-implement-tips-from-younger/>.

Dr. Lancer via Simona Rabinovitch. “What NOT to Eat for Radiant Skin: A Celeb Dermatologist’s Advice.” Livingly.com. <http://www.livingly.com/Health+Diet+Fitness/articles/hzPKLUIl1iT/NOT+Eat+Radiant+Skin+Celeb+Dematologist+Advice>.

Water statistic: “The water in you.” U.S. Dept. of the Interior. < http://water.usgs.gov/edu/propertyyou.html>.