Lifestyle Choices That Affects Our Skin Health
The Impact of Lifestyle on Skin Health
Our daily lifestyle can play a significant role in how bright our complexions are, with poor choices leading to skin damage later on in life. In fact, a recent study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that people born at the same time can age at different rates. The researchers collected data on the subjects’ kidney, liver, and lung function, dental health, the blood vessels in the eyes, metabolism, and immune system function at the ages of 26, 32, and 38.
Smoking: A Major Culprit of Skin Damage
Smoking is one of the most significant contributors to skin damage. Chemicals in tobacco ultimately damage collagen and elastin, the building blocks of strength and elasticity. It also causes delayed wound healing, which means poor outcomes from treatments that rely on wound healing like laser, skin needling, and Profound. You’ll also experience premature aging from the oxidative stress of free radicals resulting from chemicals in tobacco. This includes “smokers lines” (the vertical lines on the upper lip due to pursing of lips), increased pigmentation due to reduced oxygen supply to cells, and visible veins due to the nicotine constricting blood vessels.
The truth is, smoking makes you look older – faster. A study from the Department of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery in the US showed how smoking can make a person’s face age faster by comparing physical differences of non-smokers with their smoking twins. Based on their photos, the smoking twin had worse-looking eye bags, upper lip wrinkles, nasolabial folds, blotchy skin, and looked 10 years older compared to their non-smoking twin. Smoking results in collagen breakdown at a faster rate. Nicotine further reduces the thickness and elasticity of the skin, which contributes to premature aging. Furthermore, smoking can actually deprive the skin of essential nutrients and oxygen, which directly affects the skin’s ability to build collagen and elastin.
The Devastating Effects of Poor Diet on Skin Health
Good nutrition results in good health, and this includes healthy skin. A lack of proteins and certain oils (omega 3, fish-based oils) will reduce production of proteins such as collagen and elastin, leading to skin damage such as sunken and sagging skin. Sugary and high-fat diets can result in blemishes and even contribute to worsening acne. Lack of vitamins (A, C, E, D) can also adversely impact skin health, and poor water intake can result in dehydration and drier skin. Foods that are high in sugar cause inflammation, which can worsen skin concerns and dry out the skin. On the contrary, foods that contain antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids are known to increase collagen production and may therefore better your skin quality.
The Dangers of Poor-Quality Sleep
Poor sleep results in inadequate cellular repair and regeneration, which can cause dehydrated skin and an altered pH, leaving you looking lacklustre. You may also experience redness and breakouts as a result of the above and dark circles under the eyes. You can even experience pigmentation due to dilated vessels as a result of inadequate cellular repair. Poor sleep can lead to skin problems such as acne, rosacea, and eczema.
Stress and Anxiety: The Hidden Culprits of Skin Damage
Stress can lead to hormonal imbalances (release of cortisol and adrenaline). Cortisol affects skin oil productions, hence why you get clogged pores and worse acne. Stress also results in increased inflammation, which adversely affects skin health. You may experience aggravated psoriasis, rosacea, or eczema or have a breakout of hives and rashes. If you suffer from these types of skin problems, you may notice that your condition worsens when you’re stressed. Learning how to manage your stress more effectively can help reduce your skin problems.
The Impact of Sedentary Lifestyles on Skin Health
Exercise keeps you healthy, and a healthy body/physiology is reflected in healthy skin from adequate cellular repair, regeneration, turnover. Increasing heart rate and breathing during exercise also helps better deliver nutrients and oxygen to the skin. Lack of exercise results in obesity and higher rates of cardiovascular disease, both of which ultimately adversely affect skin health. When you sit all day, your blood is not pumping as fast, and this can take away vital nutrients and oxygen. The reduction of these nutrients contributes to the premature aging of the skin.
The Damaging Effects of Sun Exposure
UVA/UVA rays damage cells from oxidative stress and the release of free radicals. This leads to pigmentation and freckles as well as premature ageing reflected in wrinkles and sagginess. This is the result of cellular damage and loss of collagen and elastin. Finally, overexposure to the sun can obviously lead to skin cancer. So remember to always slip, slip, slap.
Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices
Your lifestyle choices can directly impact the health and appearance of your skin. Certain habits such as smoking and excessive alcohol drinking, as well as other lifestyle choices like a poor diet, can make your skin look overly dry, wrinkly, and dull. Knowing how your life choices affect your skin is key to making healthy changes. Here’s a closer look at how some of your lifestyles affect your skin and what you can do to reverse damage caused by poor life choices.
Conclusion
In conclusion, our lifestyle choices play a significant role in how bright our complexions are, with poor choices leading to skin damage later on in life. By making healthy lifestyle choices, we can improve the health and appearance of our skin. Remember, it’s never too early or too late to start making healthy lifestyle choices. Quit smoking, eat a healthy diet, get enough sleep, manage your stress, exercise regularly, and protect your skin from sun damage. Your skin will thank you! 😊
