Habits that make you look older

Looking young is everyone’s cup of tea as is seen with the efforts people put to it. However, despite trying, there are many times when one may look a little bit older than they actually are. This is mainly attributed to the skin lacking the glow it should possess. Although for some few this ‘old’ unwanted look is caused by genetics, there is a combination of habits, that when done over time, contribute to how one looks.

These habits include

Smoking

The nicotine in cigarettes is known to speed the normal aging process of the skin thus contributing to wrinkles and skin damage. Smoking impairs blood flow to the skin by narrowing blood vessels in the outermost layers of the skin. Nicotine also stains teeth hence taking away the dazzle associated with a white set of teeth. It also yellows fingernails leaving them with an undesirable colour.

Repeated pursing of lips and squinting the eyes when inhaling may contribute to wrinkles with time.

Insufficient sleep

Research conducted over a period of time indicates that healthy adults need between 7 and 9 hours of sound sleep. Good sleep is as essential for health as is good nutrition and physical activity. Apart from making us rest, sleep also helps us look our best, giving us that all-over glow we long for.

Continuous sleep deprivation denies your skin cells time to repair and regenerate, a process which happens during sleep. Collagen, which is in charge of keeping wrinkles at bay is produced when you’re sleeping meaning if you don’t take a good time to sleep, wrinkles appear faster and you look old than you really are.

Stress

When you’re stressed. People can tell by just looking at your face. To begin with, stress causes unstable sleeping patterns which automatically leaves you with puffy eyes. Stress is also responsible for the production of cortisol, which tampers with other hormones.

The result of this among other things is acne breakout as your skin is not able to fend the pimples off. When you are too stressed, there is an imbalance of the good and bad bacteria in your gut which is known to cause rashes and hive. This will leave you looking aged.

Leaving makeup on at night

Most people after a long day at work do not pay attention to their ski, especially the face as they do in the morning. Research shows that a good number of makeup users retire to bed without removing makeup they spent the day with.

This is hazardous for as it clogs the skin pores denying it a chance to breathe. This in turn attacks your skin with bumps, pimples and blackheads which automatically denies you’re the glow and replaces it with a generally aggravated skin.

Lack of exercise

As we all know, physical exercise is a necessity for all as it is loaded with benefits ranging from heart health to bone and muscles status. What many people do not know is that exercise also contributes to how one’s skin looks.

Taking part in physical exercise increases and maintains blood circulation to all parts of the body including nerves that supply the skin with oxygen. In addition, the increased blood flow helps to carry away waste products from the skin. Exercise is also known to keep the skin looking firm which obviously results to a younger look.

Diet Choices

A big part of what you eat reflects on how you look. There are foods that contain preservatives, which can trigger inflammation in the skin, and accelerate skin aging.

Serving of canned foods, carbonated drinks, deep fried foods, alcohol, baked foods among others all make wrinkles appear on your face earlier than they should. Healthy foods like fruits and adequate water on the other hand keep your skin rejuvenated giving you a glowing firm skin, totally opposite of a wrinkled aging face.