While you may strive to take the best possible care of your skin, it is still likely that there are a few everyday activities that are unintentionally causing your skin extra damage. From sipping on a straw to cuddling up in front of the fire, these are some habits and activities that you need to avoid if you want your skin to really thrive.
Frowning
Repeatedly performing the same facial expressions will soon lead to lines developing on your face, and frown lines are usually one of the first to form. To prevent this from happening, be aware of any exaggerated facial expressions you may be making, and try to avoid scrunching your skin or pouting your mouth too often.
Sitting By the Fire
It is common knowledge that the sun and its UV rays cause irreparable damage to the skin, but many do not realize that sitting close to a fire can have this same effect. Recent studies have shown that the heat produced by a fire works in a similar way to UV rays when it comes to skin damage, causing everything from thin and blotchy skin to dryness and free radical attacks, meaning that if you want to avoid this, you need to be sitting at least three feet away from the fire source, and keep exposure as brief as you can.
Sipping Through a Straw
Another well known fact is that smoking will quickly lead to fine lines around the mouth, due to the regular puckering motion that the mouth creates. Sipping through a straw requires these same movements, and doing this on a regular basis would mean that the lines around your mouth become much more pronounced. While a straw may be more enjoyable, try to drink directly from the glass instead as much as you can.
Snuggling Into Your Pillow
If you usually tend to sleep on your side, with your face squashed into your pillow, then you need to be aware that this will soon cause premature wrinkles and accelerated aging. As you age, the collagen and other connective tissues within your skin become weaker, meaning that each time you wake, your skin will have a harder time bouncing back to its original shape. While sleeping on your back is the best option, investing in a silk or satin pillowcase can also help, as this cuts back on the amount of friction that your skin experiences when it rubs against the pillow.
Eating Too Much Salt
When it comes to processed snacks, salt can be found in just about everything, and while these do make for a convenient bite to eat during the day, too much sodium can have a severely negative effect on your skin. Excess salt will suck the moisture from your skin, leaving it dull and dehydrated, so try to opt for healthy, sodium-free snacks instead.
Everybody wants their skin to be as healthy as possible, but these everyday activities will soon have quite the detrimental impact. From dehydrated skin caused by too much salt to accelerated aging from sitting too close to the fire, try to avoid these habits as much as you can, so that your skin will not have to deal with their damaging consequences.
