Hello Gorgeous!
Does this sound familiar? You’ve spent a small fortune on skin care products and you see your skincare specialist regularly; yet you still don’t have great skin. Please don’t shoot the messenger because you’re probably not going to like what I’m about to say: Your lifestyle choices could be the cause of your skincare woes.
Our skin is the largest organ in the body and therefore reflects what we do to our bodies. The good news is that a lot of these things are modifiable.
One of the biggest culprits is the sun. We know that the sun ruins our skin and causes premature aging but this is so easily preventable…sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen! Every single day.
Stress. We all have it in one form or another but too much stress can wreak havoc on our skin. As our stress levels increase, our body produces cortisol. As our cortisol levels rise, we produce more oil which could potentially block our pores and cause pimples. Too much stress will also increase overall inflammation which can exacerbate other skin care issues like rosacea, psoriasis, and eczema, as well. Everyone alleviates stress differently; so it’s difficult to say what will work for one person over another. Some common ways to lower stress is through exercise, meditation, spending time with friends/family, and getting enough sleep.
Which leads me right into the next lifestyle habit that could be ruining your skin…not getting enough sleep. Sleep is paramount for our bodies and our skin to repair itself from the onslaught it encountered during the waking hours. If we do not get enough sleep, we interrupt the restoration of increased blood flow to the skin and the regeneration of new skin cells (which means more collagen and less wrinkles). It’s not called “beauty sleep” for nothing!
Next, is our diet. I know this may strike a few nerves but what we eat really is reflected in our skin. I won’t wax on about how eating right is good for you. We all know that. What I will share with you is that eating fruits and plenty of veggies provides our bodies with antioxidants which in turn fights aging. But the evil lies in the sugar. Eating a lot of sugar creates oxidative stress in our skin and breaks down collagen. Sugar is bad for us in so many ways but our skin will see dramatic results quickly if you just reduce it.
Lastly, smoking. It destroys the skin. Smoking breaks down collagen and elastin at an alarming rate. It decreases blood flow and oxygen to the skin which results in fewer new skin cells. Please, just stop smoking.
Try one or more of these lifestyle changes and watch your skin reap the benefits.
“Love yourself first, and everything else falls in line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world.” -Lucille Ball
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