6 daily habits that are effing with your skin.

Most of us know what we should be doing to take care of our skin but did you know there are many things we do, without even realising, that are harming our skin? The good news is a few tiny tweaks to our lifestyle will give our skin a fighting chance to look its absolute best.

1. Sleeping on our side or stomach – I’m guilty of this one and granted it’s a hard habit to break but mashing your face into the pillow every night for years will create permanent lines on your face. In a perfect world we should all be sleeping on our backs. While this isn’t easy it’s definitely worth giving it a try.

2. Your pillowcase – Cotton pillowcases cause friction on your skin at night and that’s why it’s worth investing in a satin pillowcase which will be much kinder on your skin. It’s also super important to change your pillowcases weekly (or more if you like) to remove bacteria and dead skin cells, which can accumulate and lead to breakouts.

3. Your daily coffee – To keep our skin looking youthful and hydrated it’s important to limit our consumption of alcohol and caffeine. If you really must have that coffee then try and be sure to drink enough water each day to counteract it.

4. Your sweet tooth – Research has shown that eating a high sugar diet can contribute to many skin-related problems including premature and accelerated ageing of the skin. It is also said to increase the breakdown of collagen in the skin which gives our skin it’s wrinkle-fighting elasticity. So it’s time to cut down on the sweet treats.

5. Over-exfoliating – Exfoliation is really important to increase the skin’s circulation and remove dead skin cells but too much of a good thing can strip your skin of its essential natural oils. So just remember to use gentle exfoliating products and only use them once a week.

6. Staring at your computer screen – We all know that facial movements cause wrinkles and this is exacerbated if these movements are repeated continuously or held for long periods of time. Often when we stare at our computer screens for extended periods we find ourselves frowning and squinting. Be sure to get your vision checked regularly to  avoid any unnecessary wrinkle-forming squinting and straining of the eyes.