* 1. Smoking! One of the biggest forms of skin damage I see other than from the sun is from smoking. It causes vasoconstriction, reducing blood supply to the skin causing changes in the elasticity and loss of collagen. Smoking burns the skin from cigarette heat, sucks the Vitamin A out reducing moisture of the skin intensively, cause of viral infections cancer (I won't go on here, since we have all seen and heard about it) Lastly, you smell bad.
* 2. Picking/Poking the skin with instruments of any kind! Picking pimples, blackheads, scabs, scars, ingrown hairs.....Anything of the matter will cause further damage to the skin that is permanent. For women over the age of 45 that own a magnifying mirror, I would not recommend them. I understand that as vision changes its harder to see what you are tweezing in the mirror. But these mirrors magnify things to where you actually see TOO MUCH. This is when picking or poking things that are unnecessary come into play. Don't forget that not a soul is looking at us that closely, and not even Cindy Crawford, Christie Brinkley, or Salma Hayek look fantastic THAT close up! Don't forget that ladies. Commonly the scars, marks, imperfections that we end up trying to cover or conceal is something we created ourselves years ago. This is for all women who pick or poke their skin! Don't.
* 3. Tanning To Excess! I am a believer that too much of ANYTHING is bad for you. If we eat too many carrots (healthy or not) we will turn orange! If we colour our hair too often, we will see damage. Same rule goes for tanning! Don't over do it or you will see its wrath, if not now then later. Take it easy on the tanning beds and sun exposure. This along with smoking is where I see the MOST permanent damage to the skin and it isn't pretty.
* 4. Chemical/Facial Peels! If you feel the need to make an appointment with a facility that provides machine operated facial procedures, stop and ask yourself why first. Sometimes as women, we forget just how beauty brainwashed we can become. Don't get me wrong, we all want to look and feel beautiful but don't let the world around you define what that is. Its your body, face, breasts, no one else's. Many times women have these procedures done when there was nothing wrong with their skin in the first place. If it isn't broke....don't fix it! There are MANY things that we can do at home or with an esthetician to conceal or improve skin imperfections naturally and affordably.
* 5. Nail/ Cuticle Biting! This sounds like something we tell our children, not to bite their nails but there are MANY adults who do it as well. Not only can this disrupt nail growth but its incredibly incredibly unsanitary! Lots of women and men take pride in healthy beautiful nails and this habit certainly effects that. I can't stress enough that this isn't just for esthetic reasons but also health reasons. If you bite your nails/cuticles and notice that you commonly get colds, a cough, sniffles, or even the flu it is very likely that this bad habit is connected. Take a month challenge to avoid biting your nails and I guarantee that you will feel healthier.
IF ANY OF THESE HABITS APPLY TO YOU, HERE ARE SOME TOOLS TO HELP YOU ALONG:
* For smokers- Do the proper research to find the best solution for you. Whether it be the gum, patch, proper medication, or the help of a friend or family member. Do your best to quit.
*Skin Pickers- Get rid of the magnifying mirrors, your husband will thank you as well as yourself. Schedule a facial with your trusted esthetician for proper extractions. They are trained to remove blackheads and more without damaging your skin. Let them wax/thread/sugar your brows, that way you aren't blindly tweezing and causing problems. Start with weekly homemade face masks, I promise that your skin will thank you!
*Tanners- Love the sun appropriately! Use SPF 30 and upward to get that bronze glow that you love without over doing it. Be aware of high UV times of the day, and wear fashionable hats to ramp up the protection. This all sounds like no fun now, but you will thank me later.
*Facial Peel Lovers- Speak to a dermatologist or esthetician for less abrasive products or solutions. If this is an addiction which may be, make an appointment with a trusted psychologist or councellor since your physical solutions could be reflecting an inner issue.
*Nail Biters- I treat you like a smoker in the sense that you need to find another GOOD habit to curb the bad one. Purchase suckers or gum....something that will substitute the habit to bite. Some have their nails done and that helps. Others have found that the bitter clear nail polish that you purchase at the drugstore does the trick. Or maybe there is a specific time of day, or activity that brings on your biting habit. Journal when or what those things are and go from there.
GOOD LUCK! AND REMEMBER THAT YOU WILL THANK YOURSELF LATER!
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