Even though you’re dedicated to your daily routine for maintaining healthy and youthful skin, sometimes it seems impossible to slow down the effects of aging despite your best efforts. Surprisingly, there are many ways that you are probably aging your skin without even realizing. Activities that seem harmless, and even some that are supposed to make your skin look healthier, can actually speed up the aging process and give you that old, tired look.

Excessive Face Washing

Washing your face is key to maintaining clear and young-looking skin, but overdoing your cleansing routine can actually have the opposite effect. If you wash your face more than twice daily, you run the risk of removing natural oils which can actually help moisturize and revitalize your skin. Also try to avoid soap-based cleansers, their overpowered cleaning abilities can leave your face irritated and dried out.

Drinking with a Straw

Believe it or not, it isn’t necessarily what you drink, but how you drink it. Using a straw to sip mojitos by the pool this summer can actually increase your likelihood of developing undesirable lines around your mouth. Constantly pursing your lips to use a straw can encourage facial wrinkling and also slow down your ability to knock back those cool refreshments in the hot sun. Toss the straw and have a more fun poolside experience with better looking skin.

Over Exercising

In general, exercise is a great way to be healthy and appear more youthful. However, some forms of exercise can actually lead to premature wrinkling if not managed properly. Too much cardio can place an undue amount of stress on your body and result in the breakdown of collagen. If you want to avoid aging your skin with exercise, always balance your cardio routine with strength training that can have a firming effect on your skin.

Weight Loss

Moderate weight loss can work wonders for your image, but quickly losing large amounts of weight and repetitive weight loss can lead to less youthful skin. In some instances of weight loss, you run the risk of reducing your skin’s elasticity which causes sagging. If you’re considering a diet to achieve the beach body of your dreams, you may want to create reasonable goals for yourself and consider the negative effects of going overboard.

Too Much Sugar

Having too much sugar is never a great idea, but it can also produce very negative results for your skin. An excess of sugar in your bloodstream can damage the collagen and elastin in your skin and lead to an increased possibility of wrinkling. With reduced elasticity, your skin will appear saggy, older and unhealthy.

Neglecting Your Eyes

Although you might think that wearing glasses can make you look significantly older, avoiding wearing them actually has a worse impact on your ability to look young. By not wearing glasses and constantly squinting to focus, you can deepen the appearance of wrinkles at the corners of your eyes and between your eyebrows. Contacts can be a good alternative to wearing glasses, but be careful not to irritate your skin while applying and removing them. The skin around your eyes is very sensitive and too much activity can cause it to wrinkle and sag.

Do you know any more activities that can age your skin? Fill us in!