6 Bad lifestyle habits that affect your skin health

It's almost impossible to have healthy-looking and glowing skin if you don't pay attention to your lifestyle, as the condition of your skin is largely a reflection of the life you're leading. Everything that we put into our bodies as well as expose it too affects the looks of our skin. This is exactly the reason why some bad life habits cause premature aging. It is believed that our lifestyle choices affect how our skin looks up to 75%. We should take special care of our skin as, being the largest organ in our body, it protects us from the outer elements and harmful UV rays. In order to make your skin radiant once more, you should definitely change some life habits. And in order to be able to change them, you first need to be aware of what these bad habits are. Among the biggest lifestyle factors that affect your skin are stress, exercise, beauty sleep, sun exposure, smoke and pollution.

You're constantly under stress

Some studies have shown that certain skin conditions are only worsened by stress. These conditions include psoriasis and eczema, among others. It has also been found that people suffering from chronic stress tend to have less moisture in their skin and their skin also recovers more slowly. All the stress is causing the skin barrier to decrease in function. It is also causing problems for other organs, not just the skin. Being mindful is the key to stress reduction and hence, skin health improvement. Mindfulness therapy is even recommended for people suffering from the aforementioned skin conditions. Even though it's quite difficult to avoid stress altogether in these modern times, we should give our best to do so.

You don't exercise enough

Other studies took exercising into account when examining the participants' skin health. They have found that middle-aged people of both sexes who exercise regularly had healthier skin, which was seen in the outermost layer of skin as well as both the first and second layer, which were denser and thicker. So, to enhance the health and looks of your skin, you should get active and start exercising. Sweating is beneficial for our skin as it flushes toxins and impurities out of our bodies. Cardio exercises help in improving circulation, necessary for the transport of nutrients and oxygen to the skin. However, sometimes this is not enough to achieve glowing skin and for some more serious health conditions, it would be advisable to visit a dermatologist. An expert can direct you in the right way towards healthy skin

You lack quality sleep

You have probably already heard about the concept of beauty sleep, but perhaps you haven't been aware of what it really means. This is so because of melatonin, which makes our skin healthier through sleep. It is a hormone with multiple functions, among which is helping us fall asleep more easily, being an antioxidant and preventing premature aging. Melatonin levels increase at night and while we're asleep, it repairs the damage done to our skin. Moreover, it boosts our immune system, making us healthier overall. People who are sleep deprived or who sleep in a too lightroom, tend to have low melatonin levels, which can be reflected on their skin.

You spend too much time in the sun without SPF

It is true that we do need a little sunshine every day to boost vitamin D in our bodies. However, even it being so, we have to be really mindful of sun exposure. The harsh UV rays can really damage our skin as they cause wrinkles on our skin, premature aging, loss of elasticity as well as sunspots. And believe it or not, you can see these as early as in your 20s. In order to protect your skin from the sun, you should be mindful. That means that you shouldn't leave your home without an SPF factor on your skin, even when it's not too hot outside. Remember to reapply the sunscreen every hour or so.

You smoke

Smoking is generally considered one of the worst life habits someone can have. It speeds up the aging process, forms free radicals and is known to cause inflammation. Some studies have shown that smoking causes the appearance of premature wrinkles on our skin, not only on the face but on the body as well. Due to smoking, elastin fibers in our bodies lose their elasticity, leading to dull, dry and less firm skin. Smoking has been found to cause spider veins as well.

You're overexposed to pollution

The air pollution around us as well as exhaust fumes are known to have a negative impact on our skin. Airborne particles in the air have an adverse impact on human skin. They aggravate the skin and cause inflammation, hence decreasing the levels of collagen and elastin in our skin. In turn, this makes our skin look lifeless.

Even though changing these life habits might seem too simple and easy, it is quite effective – start practicing them and you'll see the difference in no time.