Top Seven Habits That Will Age Skin Faster

As Denver’s most prestigious skin care clinic, our skin care professionals are always getting questions about how to maintain or achieve healthy, youthful-looking skin. It’s why our patients choose us (always go where the best resources are!). They’re hungry to learn about their skin; and we’re honored to share our talents, knowledge, and passion with them. So, what’s the secret recipe to ageless skin?

Well, it’s a recipe alright, but not a secret one!

It takes effort. From us, and more importantly, from you. In fact, while the proper skin care treatment plan will absolutely help maintain or achieve skin health, the truth is you’re away from us for much longer than you’re with us, so the attention you are giving this on your own is going to severely impact how your skin ages.

The question we need to ask ourselves, like we do any other goal in life…how bad do we want it? When it comes to your skin, what you put in, is what you’ll get out. Don’t be lazy. Remove your makeup…wash your face. But aside from applying products (or not), and receiving treatments (or not), we also want to highlight some habits you’ll want to start, limit, or avoid outright to help you achieve healthy skin.

Below are the top seven things that we encourage our patients to practice at home to slow the progression of aging and its visibility on the skin.

EVERYONE deserves healthy skin. So, let’s get to it…

DON’T SMOKE– cigarette smoke, cigar smoke and marijuana smoke all contribute to premature aging of the skin. The smoke encourages wrinkles and dryness. Cigarette smoke, especially, depletes the skin and body of Vitamin C, an important antioxidant in skin health. Furthermore, secondhand smoke can be equally as damaging to the skin (and body) of those who do not smoke but are around the smoke. So even if you’re near the puff, know it can cause all the same stuff.
SUN EXPOSURE– it is well known that exposure to the sun is among the most damaging culprits on the skin. From a very young age unprotected sun exposure leads to a loss of collagen cells, which in turn lead to dry, leathery, wrinkled, and sagging skin. In addition, the risk of skin cancer is increased with sun exposure. Are we saying become a hermit? Gosh no. We love the sun. We just love practicing safe sun measures more. Wondering how you can enjoy fun in the sun? Visit our Sun Care Tips blog here to learn more.
ALCOHOL USE– prolonged or abusive alcohol use leads to broken capillaries and dilated capillaries over the surface of the face. This can cause a permanent flushed look to the face, neck, and chest. Limit alcohol consumption. We’re fans of moderation.
STRESS– avoiding stress and the hormones that act on our body during stress help to keep our skin more youthful in appearance. Constant frowning from stress can etch those 11’s (lines between your brows), as well as other lines around the eyes and nose that might need to be treated with Botox one day. Look for ways to manage your stress. If able, yoga, walking, breathing exercises or any other physical activity are such a healthy outlet for stress. Try to build these stress-less habits into your day.
EXPOSURE TO TEMPERATURE EXTREMES– most people think of exposure to hot as being a problem for the skin, but extremes in both directions; hot and cold can cause the skin to age more quickly. If wind is involved on a regular basis the skin takes is beat up even more. If you must be out in inclement weather, take safety precautions to protect your skin.
LACK OF EXERCISE– toning the muscles and keeping the blood flowing is important to your skin’s health. While typically thought of as most important for our bodies, exercise helps to brighten our skin and keep the cells turning over more quickly leading to a more youthful glow.
LACK OF SLEEP– looking tired and feeling tired show on the face and around the eyes. Dark circles around the eyes or puffy eyes are often caused by a lack of sleep. A lack of sleep often leads to the consumption (or over consumption) of caffeine which can cause a variety of problems among them a dullness to the skin.

We hope you enjoyed reading this list of skin agers. We know that reaching your skin goals is not just about the results we can achieve from treatment in clinic, but also, and more importantly, from the various habits you practice at home to take care of your body’s largest organ, your skin!

Facial Aesthetics medical spas are located in Denver and Greenwood Village. They are experts at treating patients with Botox in Denver, Aurora, Lakewood, Centennial, Englewood, Greenwood Village, Castle Rock, Highlands Ranch, and all surrounding areas.