2020-04-28

We spend millions of dollars on beauty regimens. The pressure to look fabulous is costing $55 billion annually. The Beauty Company reported that women shop for cosmetics at the minimum of 5 times a year. Over a lifetime, a typical woman spends $15,000 on makeup products. According to cheatsheet.com, people spent $13.4 million on procedures like chemical peels and facials. "But a large number of people — around 1.6 million — went under the knife to have invasive procedures, like breast augmentation surgeries, nose reshaping surgeries and liposuction surgeries." Getting procedures done can help, but you play a part in this as well. Here are 5 habits that damage your skin.

You don't drink enough water.

A dull complexion won't go away even with the best makeup in the world, if you're dehydrated. Water makes up two-thirds of the body, it helps joints, organs and helps remove toxins. Since the skin is the largest organ in the body, it needs to be hydrated as it will clearly show if you are not. "When skin is dehydrated, it creates more oil to make up for the missing water. This can cause breakouts, irritation and dry patches. Skin can even feel oily and dry at the same time," dermalogica.com found. "Additionally, your skin will lose elasticity, be dull and will wrinkle if this is a common occurrence." No only this, but people who are dehydrated experience a change in moods as the neurons in the brain detects dehydration.

You smoke.

Smoking ruins your looks and you can likely point out who smokes as their skin shows it.
We know smoking is bad for the body, but one side effect is the damage it does to the eyes. "The skin under the eyes is very delicate, and smoking damages this delicate tissue," Pat Folan, RN, the director of the North Shore-LIJ Center for Tobacco Control in Great Neck, New York said in an interview with Everyday Health. "Quitting smoking may have restorative benefits." Smoking causes premature skin aging and can add a decade to your skin. Your face will also take on a yellow tinge and become leathery. According to allwomenstalk.com, "Smoking accelerates the process of aging and, on an average, smokers look about 1.5 years older than those that don’t smoke." Quit the habit, it may not only lengthen your life but keep your skin healthy.

You're consuming too much sugar.

Sugar is linked to diabetes, heart disease, weight gain, cancer and people are getting sick from it. Scientific American shared there is little nutritional value in sugar and it can hurt your skin. There is a name for this and it is called having a "sugar face." Dr. Harold Lancer, a dermatologist to Kim Kardashian said that sugar breaks down collagen, which makes your skin glow. It weakens the immune system, and a suppressed immune system is bad at fighting off bacteria. "Bacteria clogged in the pores creates pimples. Sugar acts as a kind of signal scrambler, affecting the production of the proteins and amino acids that build up collagen and elasticity. Sugars bind to the amino acid chains and they gunk up the work,” he told nymag.com. Detox sugar for 30 days and cut down on caffeine. During this time, avoid healthy sweeteners like honey and other sugar substitutes.

You're not getting enough sleep.

Don't you hate it when someone asks you if you're tired? Mostly likely, you look like it. A lack of sleep causes mood disturbances, headaches, ailments, like aches and pains and a weakened immune system. We tend to grab high-sugar foods and crave junk food to keep us going when tired. When we sleep our body is able to rejuvenate and it is better at fighting against viruses and it helps our skin cells renew. "Persistently high cortisol levels can interfere with how well our bodies heal and can promote acne breakouts," Joshua Zeichner, M.D, the Director of Clinical Research at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City shared with allure.com.

Beware of the sushi face.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the recommended amount of sodium is 1,500 mg per day. Actress Julianne Moore had a bad habit of eating too much sushi and called it 'sushi face' in an interview because she noticed that she looked bloated in her face on camera. Sushi has too much sodium and can make look puffy a day later. Too much salt can cause a retention of water, especially around the eyes. There is a vast amount of salt in crab, shrimp, lobster and seaweed. These can lead to a breakout and can make your skin look dull. “Foods that are high in salt are very bad for the skin because salt can cause us to retain water, which results in swelling,” Dr. Mitch Chasin told stylecast.com. “This usually affects the skin around the eyes, giving us a puffy look. Salt can also lead to high blood pressure, which affects collagen.”

When it comes to the health of your skin, everything that you do has consequences. We can't stop our skin from aging, but we can take the steps to slow down the process.

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