You can’t turn back time but you can put the brake on habits that are speeding the aging process along unnecessarily. Read on and see if you’re guilty of committing any of the following transgressions:
1) Skipping sunscreen
You’ve heard it before and you’ll hear it again since sun is the primary cause of skin aging. Don’t think a cloudy day grants you any leeway either. Harmful UV rays can penetrate cloud cover and windows too, so yes, you need to apply sunscreen to exposed areas even on overcast days when you’re simply driving to work. Luckily, a good number of moisturizers include sunscreen in their ingredients. Be sure to include one in your regimen.
2) Overlooking your neck, chest and hands
A lot of attention is lavished on the face but people tend to forget that tell-tale signs of aging can accumulate on the neck, chest and hands when they’re not cared for properly. Dark spots, dryness and loss of firmness occur just as readily in these areas as on the face so be sure to apply moisturizer and sunscreen in equal measure.
3) Keeping an irregular sleep schedule
Do you skimp on shut-eye during the week figuring you’ll make up for shortages by sleeping in on the weekend? Unfortunately it isn’t possible to catch up on your beauty sleep quite that way. Studies show that how you sleep may be just as important as how much you sleep. It’s better to stick with a consistent sleep schedule in order for your body to go through all the proper stages of a sleep cycle. That includes the all-important REM phase when some experts say the body and skin heals most deeply.
4) Rubbing tired eyes
If you’re guilty of number three, then you may find yourself doing this during the day. But rubbing tired eyes will only stretch delicate skin and possibly cause it to slacken. The skin around eyes and on eyelids is the most sensitive and least elastic in the facial area. Wrinkles are going to happen but why hasten them along? Placing cool cucumber slices over tired eyes is a much better way to provide relief.
5) Neglecting to wear sunglasses
This seems like a no-brainer but shading your eyes from the sun’s glare prevents squinting and the formation of crow’s feet around the corners of eyes and deepening grooves between eyebrows. The added benefit, of course, is that it also protects your eyelids and eyeballs from the the sun harmful UV rays – definitely a must. Don’t underestimate the cool factor as well! Select a pair that suits you but check out the label first – not all sunglasses offer UV protection and that’s essential.