Your skin is your body’s largest organ, and as with other organs, what you do and eat actually affects it. If you want beautiful, bright skin, it may be time to dump a few bad habits and replace them with good ones. Take a look at five you may not realise affect the way your skin looks.
Drinking: After a bad night at the pub, your body is working hard to metabolise the alcohol you consumed. During that process, your liver releases a byproduct called acetaldehyde. It’s toxic to your tissues, so it dehydrates them. As a result, you’ll find premature ageing. More than that, though, alcohol can dilate your pores, and that may mean oils trapped on the surface quickly turn into blackheads or whiteheads.
Smoking: You probably know that every time you inhale, you’re hurting your lungs. What you may not know, though, is that you’re also damaging the blood flow to your skin. That means a serious impact, both immediately and for the long term. You suffer from an increased risk of infection, as well as skin cancer, and wrinkles. You also deprive your skin of the nutrients you need too, which means you’re going to lose out on the ability to rebuild collagen and elastin to give your skin the strength to stretch and change.
Tanning: Tanning means exposing your skin to UV rays, and that means a response from your skin to deal with those harmful rays. Sure, many people prize that gorgeous, bronze look, but the simple reality is that the look you want is just as damaging as a sunburn. When your skin cells are threatened, they start distributing darker pigment to the surface to help deal with the threat. The pigment creates that tan look, but it means microscopic damage and it could lead to skin cancer. Slather on that sunscreen to help prevent the response from your body.
Dehydration: Not getting enough water? It’s as bad for your skin as it is for your body. If you don’t get enough water, your skin dries out and gets tighter and a bit flaky. It begins to lack elasticity, then the fine lines and under-eye circles begin to appear. What’s more is that your skin tone looks too flat. Well hydrated skin tends to glow and look plump and calm.
Sugary Diet: Eating a bit too much sugar? That, too, can affect your skin. A few too many slices of cake means a breakdown of collagen in your body. Sugar tends to bind to the amino acid chains, and that means you won’t be able to produce the collagen and elastin that is so important to prevent wrinkles. Sugar also means a weakened immune system, which makes it hard to fight off bacteria, and that can lead to breakouts and other common skin problems.
While you’re not responsible for all of your skin issues, changing just a few bad habits could mean changing the way your skin looks. If you would like to find out more about the treatments we offer for a variety of different skin complaints, then call us to book in your free consultation with one of our expert therapists.
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