Factors that affect your look and how to fight them

Does your skin show signs of slow deterioration? Your skin and look work as a window to your body, they show the stories you have lived. From the acne signs you got when you were a teenager, to the sunspots of countless days spent at the beach, all the things you have ever done are reflected in your skin. Do you find it surprising? Some lifestyle habits can take a toll on your body and deeply affect it. While drinking a glass of wine does no harm to your skin, alcohol addiction can damage your look and cause multiple health problems. So does smoking, lack of exercise and poor diet.

Keep reading if you want to find out what the factors that damage your look are.

Poor diet

Your body works similarly to a machine it needs fuel to function. What you eat directly influences the way you feel and how your skin looks. If your diet is poor in essential nutrients, your internal health is affected, you suffer from dehydration and malnutrition, and your skin starts showing deteriorating signs. Your hair and skin may be the last ones that show the effects your poor diet has on your body, but they are as deeply affected as the rest of the organs.

When your skin doesn’t get the needed minerals and vitamins, it loses its radiance and gets puffy. Sometimes a poor diet also leads to acne and other skin problems. Switching to a diet rich in vitamin C, minerals and fatty acids will help your body recover and your skin regain its glow.

Regular smoking

It’s common knowledge that smoking is negatively impacting your skin because it restricts essential oxidants and nutrients from getting into cells. Regular smoking leads to the degradation of collagen and elastin, two of the most important components of your skin. Fine lines are the main result of damaged skin cells.

This simple habit that at first doesn’t seem to affect your health, can speed up ageing and stain your skin. Sometimes its effects are so harsh, that it continues to affect your skin even when you stop it. Regular smoking doesn’t lead only to fine lines and stains, but also to wrinkles and sagging skin. Recent studies have also shown that smoking is one of the factors that lead to acne because it blocks pores.

Alcohol addiction

Alcohol addiction is one of the most aggressive factors that damage your look. Jairo Rodriguez, a nutritionist from New York states that he always warns his patients on the effects alcohol has on skin, it makes people look older than they are. Alcohol consumption makes your body become dehydrated and this is why it’s always advisable to have a glass of water for every glass of wine you drink.

You don’t blush only when you get drunk, alcohol can cause rosacea. When consumed excessively, alcohol can damage the blood flow to your facial skin and cause an unhealthy appearance for days. Sometimes the damage is permanent. The specialists from alcohol rehab centres state that many of their patients suffer from symptoms like bloodshot eyes, broken capillaries and blood vessels, and hair loss. Consuming large amounts of alcohol does no good for your appearance, and you should stop the addiction before it permanently damages your look.

Use of cosmetics

You simply cannot resist the temptation to try all the cosmetic products available on the market. But what you may not know is that many of them contain chemicals that damage your skin rather than improving it. Most of the products available on the market contain lead, one harmful ingredient that can prove a hazard to the skin if used for a long period. When you buy a lipstick or skin cream, you should always check the list of ingredients to make sure that they contain no chemicals that can damage your skin’s health.

Creams and lipsticks are not the only ones that can affect your skin, some fragrances and perfumes also contain neurotoxins that act similar to poison. Nail polish includes formaldehyde, a compound that can cause side effects like allergies. The best way to protect your skin is to always research the products you are using and to stick to the ones that prove effective.

Ultraviolet exposure

Sunlight is good for your health, as long as you protect your skin when you go outdoors. The ultraviolet rays of the sun have a damaging effect on the skin and are considered the main cause of skin cancer. If you expose yourself repeatedly, and you don’t use a UV cream you will start noticing signs of premature ageing.

Sunlight also affects your skin’s elasticity because it dries your derma. Some other signs that UV rays affect your skin are dark spots and pigmentation. You should use SPF creams during both the cold and hot seasons because UV rays are dangerous for your skin no matter how low or high the temperatures are.

Toxins

Toxins are not dangerous only for your internal organs, but also for your skin. You have been consuming processed and packaged food for years, and this can lead to toxins build-up in your body. Most of the processed foods found in the market contain flavouring agents, chemical additives, and multiple preservatives that can damage your appearance. The first effect they have on your body is to suppress your immune system. Then you will feel weak and tired, and you will notice that your skin is looking duller and aged than before. Your body cannot fight all the toxins you are ingesting, so it tries to eliminate them through your skin and the process is directly affecting your natural beauty.

You should choose more natural alternatives to the packaged and canned foods, you are used to consuming regularly. You should buy organic and fresh foods, and prepare them at home. Home-cooked meals will boost your health and enhance your skin’s beauty.

Apart from the listed factors, many other ones have a negative impact on your look. Lack of exercise, insufficient intake of water and lack of sleep are only some of them.

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