13 Regular Habits that Could Ruin your Skin

For all the assaults your skin takes during the day from the sun, pollution, and makeup. The chances for your complexion to restore and renew are important to maintain youthful skin as years go by.

Sure, you wash your face most of the time, and yet somehow you're battling adult acne, wrinkles, and other skin woes.

However, if you can get rid of these habits, you can definitely achieve the flawless skin you've always wished for.

Here are the 13 habits that ruins your skin:

1. Lack of sleep

Getting less than 7 hours sleep a night can have an affect on your skin, making it appear duller. And increasing fine lines, particularly around the eye area. It's recommended to have at least 8 hours a night to keep your skin replenished and hydrated. It's also important to sleep with satin, silk or Egyptian cotton pillowcases. Because rough pillowcases can actually cause wrinkles during the night.

2. You take hot showers

Maybe you think you need hot water to kill germs. Or maybe you just like how the warmth relaxes your muscles—but hot showers are no friend to your skin. Hot showers strip your skin of its natural oils. Drying it out while also potentially causing a breeding ground for unfriendly skin bugs to proliferate.

3. Sleeping with makeup on

After a long tiring day or a late night out with friends, taking your makeup off may be the last thing on your mind. But letting your makeup and the oil buildup from throughout the day, sit on your skin all night, can lead to bacterial infections and clogged pores, which can cause acne.

Besides, your body temperature increases slightly when you sleep, which will enhance absorption of whatever's on the skin surface. So if it's makeup, then you can expect an increase in spots.

If you're too tired to do, the full cleanse, tone and moisturise routine, then using micellar water is a good alternative to take your makeup off quickly and effectively, just try not to make a habit of this. Try beauty cult Bioderma Sensibio H20 to gently remove makeup whilst cleansing the skin at the same time.

4 You skip face-washing

On the other hand, you don't want to avoid washing your face altogether. According to one survey, more than half of people polled often skip washing their faces before bed. This will lead to a buildup of dirt and old skin cells, especially if you use heavy makeup.

5. You forget daily sunscreen

Sunscreen can help prevent skin problems, including skin cancer. But you must use it daily, not just when you go to the beach or pool. Sun exposure is the number one cause of premature skin aging.

6. Using harsh cleansers

This may seem contradictory as cleansing is a crucial part of any skincare routine. But over cleansing your skin can actually cause more damage. If you have dry skin, then you need to be careful as cleansing too much will strip away natural oils, making your skin even drier.

Try to pick a creamy or oil-based cleanser at night as these are gentler on dry. Or sensitive skin, like Liz Earle's Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser. The plant-based cleanser includes naturally active ingredients such as eucalyptus and cocoa butter, leaving skin feeling soft and moisturised. For oily or blemish-prone skin types, then La Roche-Posay Effaclar Purifying Foaming Gel is a great alternative.

7. You consume alcohol

One of the ways you might be making yourself dehydrated is imbibing frequently. This can wreak havoc on your skin, which craves moisture. Alcohol dehydrates your skin by acting as a diuretic. And by impacting a hormone called vasopressin, which tells your kidneys to reabsorb some of the water that's about to leave your body. Alcohol hinders the production of vasopressin, so it doesn't allow your body to reabsorb that needed water. And your skin looks tired and sallow, with more pronounced fine lines, wrinkles, and pores.

8. Exfoliating too much

Whilst squeaky-clean skin feels great, exfoliating using gritty exfoliators can exacerbate oil production and worsen breakouts by spreading bacteria. If a scrub stings or leaves your skin red and blotchy, then it's best not to use it. As well as wiping away flaky skin, it will also get rid of your skin's natural hydrating oils.

Rough natural exfoliators can cause inflammation and irritation. But using a gentle exfoliator with microbeads or sugar is much gentler on the skin. Origins GinZing Refreshing scrub cleanser is perfect as it contains Jojoba and Carnauba wax to gently exfoliate to help unclog pores. If you need a guide to exfoliating, read this!

9. You avoid veggies

If you're not loading your plate with antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables, your skin is missing out. Numerous studies have demonstrated that antioxidants can slow down or even reverse signs of aging, including fine lines, wrinkles, and brown spots, by protecting the skin from the ravages of sunburn, inflammation, and DNA damage.

10. Squeezing blemishes

We all know how tempting this can be. But the reality is squeezing a pimple pushes the bacteria deeper into the pores, which can cause infection and scarring, making the blemish last for even longer. Instead of squeezing the spot, you should put a small amount of spot treatment on it at night to help soothe and reduce it overnight.

Try GLAMGLOW's Super Mud Clearing Treatment, which contains a range of effective ingredients such as glycolic, salicylic and lactic acids that work to heal damaged skin and prevent breakouts. This innovative facial treatment also doubles as a face mask which absorbs impurities without affecting the skin's natural oils.

11. Not drinking enough water

One of the simplest ways to make your skin glow is by drinking enough water. Regular water consumption improves the colour and texture of your skin by ensuring new cells renew properly. It's recommended that you drink at least 2 litres of water a day to ensure you have that healthy, glowing complexion.

12. Eating junk food

As tough as it may be to hear, your diet affects your complexion more than you think. People who replaces processed carbs with high-protein foods break out less. Simply put, high-glycemic foods such as white carbs cause your blood sugar to rise, resulting in a surge of insulin. Higher levels of insulin in turn stimulates oil-producing hormones called androgens, which can increase the number of blemishes on your skin. It's best to cut out junk food and replace it with snacks that contain healthy fats which give essential nutrients for hair, skin and nails.

13. Smoking

One final bad habit that can ruin your skin is smoking. It breaks down elastic fibres in the skin, which is why smokers' complexions can look yellow-toned. And whilst it speeds up the enzyme responsible for breaking down collagen, it leads to wrinkles. If you want perfect skin, you should think about quitting!