10 Skincare Habits That Are Gradually Destroying Your Skin
The skin is the largest organ in your body and it covers your entire body surface.
While most people spend their fortunes on skincare products and treatments, they tend to forget the importance of daily habits that might be harming their skin.
As it stands now, you might unknowingly be engaged in activities that fast-track the aging process, which kills the glow from your complexion or brings on a breakout.
Even if you think you have a perfect regimen, small mistakes can accumulate to wreak havoc over time.
Although most people say that skin issues are due to genetics or aging, one factor you need to look into is your lifestyle.
Bad skin-care habits leave irreversible scars, making your skin look aged and tired.
Here are 10 common skin-care mistakes that can damage your skin without your knowledge.
1. Using Incorrect Skincare Products For Skin Types
Many people use the wrong products that are either too harsh or ineffective for their type of skin.
Someone with oily skin should not use a thick, heavy moisturizer as this will clog his pores, resulting in breakouts.
Another example is someone with dry skin who uses foaming cleansers.
This not only strips your skin of the necessary moisture, it also leads to flakiness and skin irritation.
If you want healthy skin, you need to understand what your skin needs.
Stay away from formulas with harsh chemicals and fragrances if you have sensitive skin.
Instead of blindly following skincare trends, you need to consult a qualified dermatologist or do a patch test before using new products.
2. Not Drinking Enough Water
Water does some pretty miraculous things if you want beautiful skin without breakouts.
With dehydration, your body becomes less effective in self-repairing, dry, tight, and wrinkled.
Decreased moisture prevents cell regeneration and repairs, this makes wounds and scars from acne and blemishes hard to heal.
Less water consumption also makes the skin secrete more oil to balance the extra dryness.
To make your skin look fresh and youthful, you should drink at least eight glasses of water every day.
Also incorporate water-rich foods, like cucumbers, oranges, and watermelon, into your diet. They boost your skin’s hydration.
3. Using Expired Products
There are reasons why skincare products have expiration dates, and many people still use them after they have expired.
Old products could lose their potency. This means that they cannot give the expected results again.
Worse, they can harbor bacteria and fungi that may lead to several infections, breakouts, and skin irritation.
For example, if you use expired sunscreen, it becomes useless when it comes to protecting you from those harmful rays.
This leads to increased sun damage and early aging.
Applying expired creams and serums can also lead to allergic reactions and clogging pores.
Check the expiry date on skincare products before you buy them.
If a product smells weird, has a change in color, or has a strange texture, throw it away.
Keep your skincare products in a cool and dry place. This keeps them preserved a little longer and makes them more effective.
4. Missing Daily Sunscreen Application
Skipping sunscreen is one dangerous habit that can gradually ruin your skin.
Most people think that sunblock is only necessary when it’s sunny outside.
But the truth is that UV rays reach the earth in every season, even on cloudy or rainy days.
If you expose yourself to UV rays continuously, your skin will exhibit signs of early aging and dark spots. This increases the risk of skin cancer.
Since our skin is vulnerable to UVA rays, we need to protect it with sunscreen at least every day.
A single application during the early hours of the day won’t be sufficient.
Reapplication after every two or three hours is very important, especially when you are outdoors.
With a daily habit of applying sunscreen, you will keep your skin damage from the sun at bay for years to come.
5. Skipping Showers After Workouts
Exercise is good for your body in every way, but some downsides can come from working out without a shower.
Accumulated sweat, oil, and bacteria on the skin during workouts provide an ideal environment for breakouts and irritation.
The longer the sweat hangs on your skin, the more likelihood there will be blockage of pores and acne formation plus inflammation.
If you skip showering after a workout session, it allows dirt and bacteria to build up on your skin.
This makes your body have undesirable smells.
On busy days, when you do not have enough time for a long shower, just clean up your face and the sweaty areas with a gentle cleanser or cleansing cloth.
This helps you to stop breakouts and keep your skin feeling fresh, clean, and free of debris.
6. Using Too Many Abrasive Skincare Products
Most people are convinced that skin cleaning is a form of abrasion.
However, excessive use of abrasive products will strip out your natural oils and damage the skin.
Over-exfoliating, whether via scrubs or even chemical peels, may make your skin red, overly sensitive, or even long-term effects such as broken capillaries.
Exfoliation should be balanced for the skin.
While you need to remove the dead skin cells, too much exposure would weaken the natural defense mechanisms of your skin.
Instead of strongly scrubbing your skin every day, try a gentle exfoliant two to three times a week.
Look for chemical exfoliants like glycolic acids or lactic acids that dissolve dead skin cleavage without little tears on the skin.
7. Missing Out on Your Beauty Sleep
A night of good sleep is really important for the health of your skin, but many tend to ignore it.
Sleeping is the time when the body performs a repair job on the skin.
Deep sleep results in increased production of collagen which minimizes fine lines and gives the skin elasticity.
If you are among those who do not sleep at least six to eight hours daily, your skin will eventually show signs of fatigue in the form of dark circles, dull skin, and breakouts.
Lack of sleep reduces blood circulation, as well, making your skin pale and lifeless.
Chronic deprivation of sleep results in premature aging and thus visible wrinkles and sagging skin.
8. Smoking & Drinking Alcohol
Both of these habits are among the most vicious things you can do to your skin.
Smoking reduces blood flow, thus depriving your skin of the oxygen and nutrients it needs.
Premature wrinkles form, it becomes dull, and the skin takes on a sallow complexion.
Even the collagen and elastin in the skin of cigarette smoke deteriorate and make the skin age fast.
The bones become dry and catty, the blood vessels increase in size, which brings redness to the skin and permanent scarring of capillaries.
This condition becomes chronic due to overtime use and thus prevents the skin from repairing itself further, leading to wrinkles and sagging.
9. Skin Exfoliation Done Wrong, Not Done at All
Exfoliation is the removal of dead cells from the skin layer, thereby renewing the surface cells.
However, some people skip or misuse the specific exfoliant meant for their skin.
With time, this adds to the accumulation of dead skin, which further leads to clogging skin pores, dull appearance, and uneven texture.
10. Ignoring Skin Cancer Warning Signs
Ignoring skin cancer red flags is probably one of the most dangerous skincare blunders.
Any odd bumps, spots, or changes in your skin are usually trivialized by most people.
However, early detection methods are the only medicines. If you have any new growth, color change in the mole over time, or irregular border, consult your dermatologist.
Though skin cancer kills, it is very treatable depending on how early it is caught.
Regular self-examinations, as well as annual skin checks, are very effective in dictating them early before they become bad.
That’s it with skincare habits that are gradually destroying your skin. I trust you have identified one or two things you are doing wrongly in your skincare routine.
It’s up to you to drop these habits and embrace the recommended ones to keep your skin fresh, young, and glowy.
