Aging Skin:7 Habits That Make Skin Age Faster

By Pat Barry
Many of the external causes of aging skin are determined by the health and lifestyle decisions you make every day. Making unhealthy choices can cause prematurely aging skin, and this makes you look older, faster.

An important part of any anti-aging skin care program is to know what you may be doing that is harming your skin and speeding up your skin’s aging process.
Here are 7 habits that contribute to aging skin, making you look older than your years:
1. Cigarette smoke
2. Sun exposure
3.Lack of exercise
4. Exposure to cold weather
5. Alcohol use
6. Stress
7. Lack of sleep
While aging is inevitable, there’s a lot you can do to look your best at any age. Taking good care of yourself is the most important step in your anti-aging skin care program.

Parts of this article are taken from Senior Living, Aging Skin: 7 Habits That Make Skin Age Faster by Sharon O’Brien, About.com Guide.: Too little sleep makes you look and feel tired. One of the first places lack of sleep shows up is on the face, with dark circles and bags under the eyes, and sagging skin. Lack of sleep is also a major factor in memory loss and symptoms of depression that include low interest in daily activities and negative thinking. Most adults function best with 8-9 hours of sleep a night.: Maybe you’ve heard this expression: “Don’t frown, your face could stay that way.” Stress and worry cause frowning and overtime the muscles in the face actually conform to that movement. A good anti-aging skin program should include meditation, yoga, gentle exercise or other relaxation techniques. Keeping stress in check keeps frown lines to a minimum.: Alcohol contributes to aging skin by dilating small blood vessels in the skin and increasing blood flow near the skin’s surface. Over time, these blood vessels can become permanently damaged, creating a flushed appearance and broken vessels on the skin’s surface.: Cold winds and low temperatures contribute to aging skin by making skin dry, so if you venture out in the cold, be sure to use a good moisturizer. It’s important to use a good moisturizer indoors as well because heated rooms can be drying .: Living a sedentary life contributes to aging skin, because exercise helps to tone your muscles and get your blood flowing. Exercise should be an important part of every anti-aging skin care program. Look and feel younger by MOVING!: Sun exposure is very aging to skin. Unprotected skin that is exposed to the sun becomes more mottled in appearance. Freckles can turn into brown sun spots, the skin takes on a dry, leathery appearance and wrinkles and sagging increase. The good news is that sun damage is avoidable, if you start now with use of sunscreens.: Whether you smoke, or you spend time with a smoker, cigarette smoke is damaging and aging to your skin. Research has shown that exposure to cigarette smoke significantly increases skin wrinkles and dryness. Smoke depletes your body of Vitamin C, which is a key ingredient for keeping skin plump and moist.
By Pat Barry