It’s not unusual to come across women with tons of products in their 20-something-step skincare regimen — one set for daytime and another one for the evening. The downside of the commercialization of beauty and the strong consumerism that ensued is that many women were born into a culture where most people think that beauty and youth can be bought.

Guilty habits that could be aging you

Here are the six habits damaging your skin that you should stop doing right now:

1. Spending too much screen time. You may be typing on your desk computer for 8 hours straight then move on to your smartphone to check some applications, then spend your downtime and early evenings catching the news or your favorite programs on TV. Then, you lull yourself to sleep checking out random websites on your mobile. Gadgets emit blue light, also a form of radiation, that can damage your skin, most especially skin around your eyes which you keep squinting because of the glare.

2. Overwashing your face. While a clean and clear skin is a requirement of beautiful skin, there’s no need to overwash. Washing your face more than twice daily or, thrice if you sweat heavily in the middle of the day, only strips aways your face of natural oils that leave your skin dry, dull and more prone to creasing. When you wash, use only mild cleanser and lukewarm water. Water that is too cold or too hot can damage your skin as well.

3. Wearing too much makeup. The more makeup you use, most especially if these are richly and thickly textured, will only seep through the cracks, causing your wrinkled, aging skin to look much worse than it really does. Stop the habit of covering up your wrinkles with too many products. Instead, choose sheer, lightweight coverups like a BB Cream. Also, use your concealers sparingly.

4. Sleeping on your sides and face down. Gravity never ceases acting on your skin, and its effects are much worse in these sleeping positions. In addition, these positions also press on your skin, leaving you with sleep lines that eventually become permanent because of the repeated creasing complicated by the declining elasticity of your skin.

5. You have facial mannerisms and very expressive. Pouting, frowning, raising your eyebrows or twitching the sides of your mouth, even smiling causes wrinkles. If you are a naturally expressive person, these mannerisms will be difficult to manage but, you got to try harder.

6. You like walking under the sun. Sunlight is good — just a tiny bit of it. Any more than that is not good for your skin. Walk on early mornings only and keep to the shade as much as you can. Put on sunscreen but never count on it to give you 100% sun shield because no sunscreen is capable of doing so.

Here’s what else you should know

There are five things about wrinkles and about your anti-aging solutions you should know:

1. The rate at which you age and how early you get your first wrinkle are already embedded in your genes but, your skin is constantly under the influence of many other factors that determine how you age.

2. It is not possible to completely stop wrinkles from forming. Skin aging is a part of life. Accept that fact and you’ll stop feeling frustrated whenever you see signs of skin aging pop up.

3. Even anti-aging products can cause your skin to age. Harsh products leave your skin inflamed, damaged and aged. Whether you’re going for a skin lightening cream or some other skincare product, you should check its efficacy as well as its suitability for your delicate aging skin.

4. Contrary to what skincare manufacturers had you thinking, skin is highly impermeable. Not all the beneficial ingredients in your creams can penetrate your skin deeply. That’s why formulation is of prime importance. Look for products that contain smaller molecules, the peptides in Derma Promedics may be worth checking out.

5. The FDA categorizes Anti-aging products as cosmetics. As such, FDA review and approval are not required for these products to be sold in the market.

Skin Solutions:

Related Video:

Can Wrinkle Creams Really Erase Wrinkles?

Conclusion:

People often leave out from the anti-aging equation the most important things that they should be practicing if they want to enjoy youthful skin longer. That includes leading healthier, more active lifestyles, and getting on daily habits that protect — not hurt — their skin.