Nobody’s perfect, and as diligent as you are about skincare, you may be unwittingly harming the health and appearance of your skin. By avoiding these 10 skin offenders, you can keep your skin looking its best for years to come.
1. Using tanning beds. In case you haven’t heard, the World Health Organization (WHO) has classified tanning beds as a known carcinogen (i.e. cancer-causer). And if you want to accelerate the formation of wrinkles and/or get skin cancer and unsightly brown spots, using a tanning bed is the best way to do it.
2. Not using SPF daily. One unpublished study by Unilever showed that using just SPF 5 every day for five years prevented significant sun damage. Do yourself and your skin a favor and use a moisturizer with at least SPF 15. You’re moisturizing anyway, right? Most people do not apply enough sunscreen, so using an SPF of 15 should give you at least an SPF of 5.
3. Getting too much sun. Ten to 15 minutes of unprotected sun a few times a week can help your body get its vitamin D fix, but if you’re sitting outside at Starbucks for an hour a day without sunscreen, your skin will remind you years from now.
4. Using the wrong cleanser. As a Skin Type Solutions subscriber, you should know your skin type and use our website as a product resource. Do your skin a favor and check our suggestions for your specific skin type to make sure you’re not doing more harm than good.
5. Not using a retinoid. What’s the best night cream to prevent aging? In my opinion, everyone over the age of 20 should be using a retinoid at night. This may help prevent aging and will smooth wrinkles you already have along with preventing acne and exfoliating the skin.
6. Over-exfoliating. Your skin type dictates just how often you should exfoliate, so use SkinTypeSolutions.com for product suggestions and frequency recommendations.
7. Using daytime moisturizer if you have oily skin. If you’re on the oily side, skip the moisturizer and go straight to the sunscreen. Sunscreens have hydrating ingredients and very oily types make their own fatty acids, so they don’t need a moisturizer. (If you have dry spots, apply moisturizer only to those areas.)
8. Paying too much for skincare. Are expensive skincare products better? You don’t always get what you pay for. Check out this article to learn when to save and when to splurge on skin care products.
9. Eating too much sugar. Too many sweets are bad for your waistline, and they accelerate aging of the skin as well. Sugar promotes a process called glycation, which causes collagen to become stiff and brittle. When the matrix of collagen within the skin begins to break down, the visible result is lines and wrinkles.
10.Not getting a full-body skin exam every year. Think of this as a birthday present for your birthday suit—especially if you’ve had two or more bad sunburns in your lifetime. Find a dermatologist at http://www.aad.org.
via Skin Type Solutions.