12 Ways to Wreck your Skin

Skin care is one of the most important yet most often ignored things we discuss with typical health care. Below we have listed some of the most common problems that can cause skin damage or poor health.

1)      Dehydration. Drinking plenty of water is vital not only for your health but also for your skin. Recently the Institute for Medicine declared that is important to have about 13 cups total of water daily for men, and about 9 cups daily for women, but that should be changed if you have an illness or exercise regularly.

2)      Excessive Sun exposure– Small amounts of ultraviolet light found in sunlight are essential for helping skin make use of vitamin D. However, prolonged or excessive exposure can cause long-term damaging effects beyond a simple sunburn, including changes in the skin such as freckling, sagging skin, poor coloration, and wrinkling. Excessive sun exposure also puts you at increased risk for various types of skin cancers. 

3)      Avoiding all sun exposure. While avoiding excessive sun exposure is important, sunlight is important for the synthesizing of vitamin D. Adequate vitamin D levels are necessary for health, but can also help reduce acne, improve elasticity, and lessen aging effects in the skin.

4)      Not wearing sunscreen. Sunscreen is a great protectant against UVA and UVB light, especially when using at least SPF 15 and when used daily. Sunscreen is recommended by dermatologists not only for fair skin but also darker skin complexions, and not only in the heat but also colder climates. Wearing protective clothing can be just as effective as sunscreen. Wearing long sleeves, a hat, and making sure to stay in shade can be just as important and skin-saving as sunscreen.

5)      Smoking. Smoking can cause premature aging of the skin and wrinkling. Nicotine and carbon monoxide in cigarettes lead to narrowing of the blood vessels, which can cause decreased blood flow to the skin and decrease in nutrients. These can leave skin sagging, with a sallow or yellowish appearance and cause poor wound healing.

6)      Poor skin knowledge. Skin does not normally need a bunch of complicated, expensive treatments in order to maintain a healthy glow. One important step is making sure you simply take the time to learn about what is important for your skin, such as basic health care, instead of simply ignoring them.

7)      Using cosmetics excessively. Cosmetics products such as lotions, deodorants, and acne treatments can contain many additional irritants and should be tested on a small area of skin before using. Also, the colors, fragrances and preservatives they contain can sometimes cause allergic type reactions on the skin and avoiding them can often help clear up rashes and dry skin.

8)      Using the wrong soap. Some soaps can sometimes strip the skin of too many oils and dry it out, which can cause dry itchy skin. Fragrances and dyes in soaps as well can cause irritation to skin, and even if a soap has been used for many years, sometimes it is necessary to switch to another soap.

9)      Poor health. Taking good care of your health can actually show in the color and appearance of your skin. Several medical disorders can actually affect the health and appearance of your skin, including things such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis.

10)   Not eating fruits and vegetables. Eating foods like tomatoes, oranges, and peppers that contain antioxidants can help increase protection from the sun and can help decrease past damage. A diet concentrating on omega fatty acids can help not improve not only health but also skin appearance as well.

11)   Avoiding wine. Red wine in small doses actually contains resveratrol, which helps to increase hydration and anti-aging enzymes to the skin.

12)   Stress. If people realized how damaging stress was to their skin, muscles, and health, they would actually regularly try to schedule rest in their weeks, and incorporate stress-relieving activities in their day. Stress can actually cause us tense up certain muscles in our face and shoulders, which actually pulls at and ages the skin prematurely. Disorders of the skin such as eczema and rosacea are also known to worsen in cases of stress.

Additional reference for skin care.