The sneaky ways that every day life will age you
These small adjustments will make a big difference!
A few nights ago, I was as excited as my best friend to watch this new movie called The Little Things. The movie aired on HBO Max and starred Denzel Washington, Jared Leto, and Rami Malek. As a staunch Denzel fan, I was excited about the film, although crime thrillers are not my preferred movies to watch. Despite that award-winning lineup, I have to say that the film was anticlimactic. I left it a bit disappointed and mad that I subscribed to HBO Max to watch it. Although, I must admit that Jared Leto’s performance was as eerie as it was hilarious! Without spoiling the movie too much, the biggest take away is that it is the little things in life that add up. Shocking. Whether it’s a thought, nuance, or habit, little [bad] things become big [bad] things that are often irreversible. That was the case in the movie, for sure.
Speaking of the little things, have you ever considered the little things that damage your skin? I think about them often. For example, my little habit of drinking an 8oz can of Red Bull causes an acne breakout if I neglect to drink enough water. There are many other everyday things that you do yet overlook that can sabotage your skincare routine. When you fail to change your pillowcases every 2-3 days, you create more issues for your skin! That, however, is a topic for another day.
If Red Bull and soiled pillowcases lead to acne breakouts, could other little things age your skin? The answer is always yes! Keep reading to learn:
6 surprising little things that you do to age your skin
1. Sleeping with your makeup on
Although this should not come as a surprise, there are still many women who do this. Sleeping with your makeup on is the ultimate skincare no-no! Apart from the insufferable breakouts and acne pick scars that this causes, it ages you over time. As mentioned before, sleep is when your skin renews itself. During a 7, or 8-hour sleep cycle, your skin sheds dead skin cells while absorbing the essential ingredients it needs from your nighttime skincare products.
Nighttime is the best time to use anti-aging skin care products because they tend to have active ingredients that increase photosensitivity. That said if you sleep with your makeup on, not only do you deprive your skin of room to breathe, but you rob it of the TLC that an anti-aging skincare routine will give!
2. Not getting enough sleep
There are many self-proclaimed night owls and people who will “sleep when they die.” I am not mad at that. Your body, on the other hand, is upset! The average adult needs anywhere from 7-8 hours of sleep each night. Even if you have one night where you pull an all-nighter or get less than seven hours of sleep, that is a little thing that adds up over time. It’s time to get serious about your sleep, love! Not only because of your skin but because the continuity of your life depends on it.
3. Applying your skin care products in a downward motion
You probably read that subheading like huh? Pulling and tugging at your skin is never a good idea. Although collagen and elastin ensure that the skin returns to its natural position after a good pull or tug, with time, these proteins wear away and leave you with sagging, loose skin. As you apply your skincare products, it may be natural to move your hands in a downward motion as you massage the products into your skin. That motion supports gravity’s pull, which brings everything closer to the Earth. Imagine the skin on your face and neck moving closer to the Earth? That’s called sagging skin. The next time you apply your skincare products, massage the products into your skin using an upward, circular motion. That will stimulate blood flow, which is essential for supple, glowing skin!
4. Craning your neck to look at your computer, phone, or tablet
Did you know that you add about 60 pounds of pressure to your neck when you look down at your phone, tablet, or computer? As people who spend a lot of time on our mobile devices daily, this type of pressure can lead to long-term back issues that only a specialist doctor can fix. But what about your skin? When you crane your neck over a long period, you constrict the flow of blood. Constricted blood flow is never good for your skin as your skin needs it to look and feel more supple. So straighten up and make sure that your mobile devices are at eye level each time you use them.
5. Avoiding sunlight altogether
This one seems counterintuitive, right? We spend so much time warning you about the dangers of direct sun exposure that you hate the sun right about now. Yet, sunlight is still essential for all human beings and can help to prevent premature aging. The sun stimulates the production of vitamin D, a lesser found essential nutrient that your body needs. Vitamin D is beneficial for the skin because it:
- Calms inflammation
- Protects your skin against the sun’s UV rays
- Improves cell turnover
As you already know, cell turnover is an essential step in your anti-aging skincare routine. That is why vitamin A or retinol is one of the most sought after anti-aging skincare products. It speeds up your skin’s cell turnover process. If you are light or pale, a maximum of 15 minutes of sun exposure per day is all you need to get the recommended amount of vitamin D. On the other hand, people with darker complexions can tolerate at least 30 minutes of sun exposure before it starts to damage their skin.
6. Laughing or yawning very wide
Laughter is good medicine for the soul, and yawns are involuntary. There is no denying that. Yet, these two little things can age you or show signs of premature aging. Why? Laugh lines. Like frown lines, they exist. I do not suggest that you stifle your laughter or stop laughing altogether. That would be the most terrible advice that I ever gave! Instead, I will tell you to focus on your laugh line area as you apply your day and nighttime skincare products. Use anti-aging, line smoothing products such as Masktini’s Night Ranger Overnight Renewal Mask to help prevent and smooth out indentations over time.
In the end, don’t let the little things bring you down! There is more to life than obsessing over them. If you want your skin to maintain that youthful glow well into older age, it’s critical to be mindful of the little things you do to speed up the aging process. When in doubt, avoid stressing out where you can. Nothing ages you faster than that anyway. In the meantime, stock up on skincare products that contain anti-aging ingredients such as antioxidants, retinol, niacinamide, and peptides. Until next time!