6 Unusual Things that Age Your Skin

Dermatologists warn us of the most common causes of aging such as excessive sun exposure and habitual smoking. This is the reason why most of us go crazy in looking for products that offer optimum sun protection and others try to quite their smoking habit.

However, there are other causes of aging. Some of these are little known to us and are unknowingly wreaking havoc on our skin’s health. We shed light on some of these sneaky things that age our skin.

• Pillow

Something in contact with our face 6 to 8 hours a day is bound to affect our skin’s health on a major scale. Normal cotton pillowcases cause breakouts and wrinkles, especially if you’re one of those people who like sleeping sideways. Cotton pillowcases can cause too much friction in the skin as we move in our sleep causing wrinkles and lines. To prevent this problem, opt for sleeping in a well-shaped pillow or using a silk pillowcase.

• Fluorescent lights

Fluorescent lighting makes us look horrible in photos and in real life as well. According to experts, sitting under fluorescent lights for a total of 8 hours a day for 5 days a week will result to a significantly high amount of UV exposure. It is not yet clear if this amount is enough to cause skin cancer, but it definitely leads to photo-aging and skin damage.

• Your eye makeup

The skin surrounding our eyes is very delicate. Improper and harsh removal of eye makeup can cause in the formation of fine lines under our eyes and wrinkles in our eyelids. This is why dermatologists always stress that the removal of eye makeup should be done with utmost care and gentleness. A helpful tip: When removing eye makeup, use petroleum jelly and apply it on the eye area for 5 minutes before gently wiping it off using a cotton ball or your trusty cleaning wipes.

• Acrylic nail polish

We may not know it but the polish we use to make our nails pretty is actually aging our hands. Constant use and removal of acrylic nail polish is damaging your cuticle skin, causing inflammation and thickening. Also, wearing acrylic nails in general does make our hands look older.

• Fad dieting

Fad diets are very popular especially on younger people wanting to lose weight fast. However, this is unhealthy and totally bad for the skin. When we yo-yo diet, the skin loses its elasticity because of the fluctuations in your weight. To make skin taut, it is advised that you keep a stable weight.

• Exaggerated facial expressions

Ever notice yourself furrowing your brows in intense concentration when at work? This is unknowingly bad for the skin. When we furrow our brows constantly, lines start to appear in the center of our eyebrows. The same can be said when you like to raise your brows when getting your point across- fine lines can form on your forehead area. Facial expressions are generally not bad but it should be kept in moderation in order to get wrinkle-free skin.