We are all aware of certain obvious factors such as sun exposure, alcohol, smoking etc which causes extrinsic skin aging….

But we are all not aware however, of some other non obvious factors that equally affect our skin aging process.

Here are a few of them:

  1. Second hand smoking:  Most people are not aware, but non smokers are more exposed to the harmful effects of smoking compared to the person smoking directly. This is because non smokers don’t have the filter at the end of the cigarette to protect them from the harmful gases that are emitted during smoking like nicotine, tar, nitric acid and carbon monoxide etc  Second hand smoke affects the skin greatly because collagen destroying  enzymes ramp up when exposed to tobacco smoke. This can lead to premature aging or visible wrinkling.

  2. Repeated Facial Expression: Constantly repeated facial expressions such as yawning, squinting, or even sipping drinks with straw can cause a breakdown in collagen and elastin fibres . When you yawn, the act encourages your eyes to water, which creates swelling and puffiness both at night and in the morning when you wake up. This excess fluid (water) around the eyes weakens the elasticity of the surrounding tissue, causing an acceleration of wrinkles. The loss of elasticity is like a rubber band that’s been stretched repeatedly: at some point, it doesn’t snap back anymore, and this is what happens to the eye area. To avoid this try having regular meal times and healthy sleep routine.

  3. Over exfoliating your skin: Over exfoliating the skin can  injure the skin causing a damaged moisture barrier which results in flakiness, dryness, dehydration and inflammation.Not good at all if your goal is healthy skin! Every type of skin responds differently to exfoliation but the general rule is, it should not be performed daily. For a mild exfoliating night toner, see this http://bareskinnaturals.com/item/glow-face-toner/

  4. Not Cleansing the skin in the morning: Think it’s unnecessary to wash your face in the morning since your skin is clean from the night before? Wrong. The reason it’s important to wash your skin in the morning is that while you sleep at night, your skin is in repair mode. This causes your skin to secrete toxins and sebum (oil). The benefit of washing your face with a cleanser in the morning is that you’re getting all of that off along with your night time skin care products. This creates a clean slate so your daytime products (especially sunscreen!) can perform their best. Check out our bestselling Deep Cleansing Face Wash for an effective, mild and gentle cleansing system your skin will love http://bareskinnaturals.com/item/deep-cleansing-face-wash/

  5. Not wearing your sunscreen even on seemingly cloudy days. Think you’re not exposed to the dangerous UV rays because the temperature is cold or it’s rainy outside and you’re not outdoors as much? Think again. The rays that cause premature skin aging and skin cancer (UVA rays) are approximately the same strength year round and can penetrate through clouds, even on a snowy or rainy day. It’s so important to get in the habit of using a moisturizer with sunscreen built right in. You’ll want to apply it every morning, every day of the year, rain and shine, inside and out. (UVA ray can penetrate through windows!)

    The very best anti-aging product in the entire world is sunscreen. Period.

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