Let me ask you a question: Do you want a radiant and smooth complexion tomorrow but risk seeing damage later in life? Or do you want consistently healthy skin? I'm going to bet you choose the latter.
In the age of social media, we are often bombarded with various sorts and varieties of skin care techniques. And even the most diligent skincare devotees can have habits that may work against them. Here are some common skin practices that do more harm than good to your skin:
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1. Misuse of ingredients and techniques.
Stripping your skin, overloading with potent actives, using abrasive scrubs or brushes-these all weaken your skin barrier function. A damaged skin barrier contributes to low-grade, consistent inflammaging processes (a chronic, low-grade inflammation causing skin aging).
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2. Neglecting nutrition's role.
You probably won't see instant glowing skin by just eating one balanced meal. Still, small nutrition-forward choices can ensure your skin cells have adequate nutrients to thrive now and into the future.
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3. Ignoring skin signals.
Your skin can tell you it's unhappy - be it blemishes, irritation, or discoloration. Not paying attention to these and their root causes can stress skin over time.
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4. Skipping on sleep and not monitoring stress.
Lack of sleep and increased stress are epidemics nowadays. These can take a significant toll on your skin health. Without good sleep and stress management, we often see a cortical spike and inflammation in the system, leading to collagen breakdown in the body.
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5. Trying too many products and not sticking with any.
Your epidermis turns over in about 40 to 56 days. That means it takes time to see results. If you're jumping from one product to the next product every 2 days without careful thought, you'll never be able to see what's helping or hurting your skin.
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6. Following social media trends, but not professionals.
Social media influencers often aren't professionally trained in skincare, nor are they speaking to you individually. Of course, there is value in sharing routines with one another, but never assume outcomes based on other people's complexions.
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7. Feeding into instant gratification.
In the age of social media, quick fixes abound. And it's not wrong to want immediate solutions for problems! Sometimes you need an instant pick-me-up for dark circles or a mask to brighten dullness. But, when all we focus on is the next hour or day, we tend to make poor choices that don't support skin health for the next week, months, years, and decades.