How Lifestyle Factors Affects Your Skin?

Blemish free skin, which is supple and radiant is everyone’s dream, however, there are certain lifestyle habits which can take a toll on your skin and affect it adversely.

Here are a few lifestyle habits which affect your skin:

1. Smoking can speed up the process of aging: Smoking can affect your skin adversely as it strips your skin of essential nutrients and oxidants. This leads to degradation of the basic units of the skin- collagen and elastin. The affected units also lead to uneven skin, appearance of fine lines and sagging. A study has also proven that smoking causes acne as the pores in your skin get blocked.

2. Stress: Stress has the power to cause major hormonal imbalances inside your body, which can affect your skin. Stress affects the skin’s barrier function which reduces its ability to absorb and retain moisture. Dehydrated skin looks dry and patchy and becomes flaky over time, leading to acne.

3. Sleep: Sleeping for less than 6 hours at night can make you feel sleepy and tired the next day. Your skin also deals with the lack of rest which is why the radiance is lost and can lead to problems such as under eye bags, dark circles and saggy skin.

4. Poor nutrition: Poor nutrition which lacks in essential vitamins and minerals can cause serious problems in the skin. Including foods which are rich in vitamin C such as fruits lime, oranges and tomatoes and fatty fishes such as tuna, mackerel and salmons can help you retain radiant skin. Adding colourful fruits and vegetables to your diet will help you detoxify your skin and get acne free and supple skin.

5. Not applying sunscreen: Your job might require you to stay outdoors for long, which exposes your skin to the harmful UV-A and UV-B rays of the sun and dust particles. In such conditions, using sunscreens with SPF (Sun protection factor) 30 or above is a necessity as otherwise, the rays can penetrate into your skin, weaken the collagen cells and lead to pigmentation and tanning in the long run. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a dermatologist.