Shocked to see crow’s feet, neck creases, or sunspots in your 20s or 30s? Is your skin rapidly aging in your 40s or 50s? It may be because you’ve unknowingly developed a few habits that are damaging your skin. Let’s dive into the top 8 causes of premature aging and how to address them.
At What Age Does Skin Start Aging?
What we refer to as “aging” when speaking of the skin, is when your body begins to produce less collagen and elastin proteins. Collagen and elastin are the building blocks of your skin. Collagen makes up 90% of the skin, maintaining your natural shape and volume. Elastin makes up just 10% of the skin, but it’s an essential percentage as it helps your skin stay tight when stretched.
Collagen production typically slows by about 1% per year starting between the ages of 25 and 30. However, you may have developed a few habits that are prematurely damaging your collagen and elastin. This is why your skin may be aging prematurely. Minimizing this natural decline is one of the reasons collagen supplements have become so popular.
Let’s dive into the top 8 things you might be doing to contribute to fine lines and wrinkles, and how to resolve them.
#1 Skipping Year-Round UV Protection
The sun’s UV rays activate a process known as photoaging. This is when overexposure to the sun damages skin cells and collagen fibers. So, UV protection is required every single day, even if it’s not sunny outside, and even if you’ll be inside all day long.
It’s never been easier to apply your UV protection, as many AM moisturizers, foundations, and powders at SPF protection. However, you need to reapply your sunscreen every 2 hours when in direct sunlight and every 4 hours all day long. The easiest way to reapply sunscreen over your makeup is with a UV spray.
What is the difference between SPF and UV sunscreen?
Sun protection factor (SPF) only filters UVB rays. These are the ultraviolet rays that can burn your skin and increase the likelihood of skin cancer. UPF protection protects against UVB and UVA rays, both ultraviolet rays produced by the sun. Broad-spectrum UV protection protects against the blue light of light bulbs, electronics, and other sources of UV rays.
What speeds up aging the most?
Smoking is the only thing that ages skin faster than the sun. Not to mention the increased risk of cancer, heart disease, and other health problems.
#2 Electronics Use
As mentioned above, electronic devices can contribute to premature aging. So much so, that there’s a rise in teenagers developing crow’s feet and deep neck creases!
There are multiple contributing factors:
- Squinting—crow’s feet are caused by the repetitive motion of laughing, facial expressions, and squinting. Squinting at smartphones, notebooks, and computers can lead to premature crow’s feet. Minimize squinting by ensuring proper screen lighting, adjusting font size, utilizing dark mode when needed, and reducing glare by wearing blue light glasses.
- Blue light exposure—the blue light of electronics can accelerate the rate at which collagen and elastin degrade. This can prematurely age the eyes, face, and neck. With kids and adults spending multiple hours per day directly in front of screens, skin is exposed to blue light more than ever before. This is one of the reasons to wear blue light-filtering glasses and apply (and reapply) broad-spectrum UV protection.
- Heads down electronics use—many of us keep our heads angled down when using electronics. This includes smartphone use, notebooks, and improperly mounted laptops and computer screens. When your head is angled down even an inch, the daily repetitive motion can create deep creases in your neck. It can also weaken the chin and neck muscles, creating a premature double chin. This is in addition to increasing neck, shoulder, and back pain.
#3 Not Washing Your Face
When you’re tired at night and don’t wash off your makeup and the grime of the day you can contribute to premature aging. This might come as a surprise, but consider how bad your skin looks when you wake in the morning.
Your makeup, moisturizer, oil, and sweat clog your pores. Not to mention, the toxins that find their way onto your skin during the day. If you don’t wash your face in the evening, these toxins and pore-clogging factors can cause a variety of problems beyond breakouts.
Forgetting to wash your face occasionally is ok, but you should wash your face with a gentle facial cleanser every morning and evening. Even if it’s not your preferred cleanser, keep some premoistened cleansing towelettes stocked for easy PM makeup removal.
#4 Using Harsh Beauty Products
Skincare and beauty products should be personalized to your evolving needs, and the ingredients in your products should be gentle. Unfortunately, to keep prices low, create an appealing aroma, or a pretty color—many skincare and beauty products contain harsh chemical ingredients. This is why when you apply some (not all) scented hand moisturizers your hands still feel dry. Or they dry out more the more you apply. Or why a month or two into using a new haircare product your hair feels dry and looks dull.
With the skin on the face being thinner and more sensitive than the rest of the body, facial products are likely to be gentler than body and hair care products—but they may contain unnecessary chemicals that contribute to premature aging.
Use products as directed
In addition to being more mindful of your product ingredients, you must use skincare products as advised. For example, exfoliants are often used incorrectly. This might mean you use them more often than directed or that you scrub harder to “better” exfoliate your skin. In this instance, more is not better—as it can damage your skin.
#5 Not Using Anti-Aging Products Long Enough
We’re in the day and age of instant gratification, but anti-aging products take time to deliver desired results. Yes, many skincare products will deliver visible results in a few days or weeks, but most take longer.
So, research the products you invest in to ensure you’re using them as directed. Also, that you’re using them long enough to allow them to work. It can take between 6 and 12 weeks for many anti-aging products to deliver optimal results.
For example, if you only use a PM serum a few days a week in hopes of reversing your premature fine lines, it’s not often enough. Using a serum a few days a week as a proactive approach to premature aging is often enough.
#6 Only Prioritizing Your Face
We get it! Your face is so much of who you are. People look you directly in the eyes while speaking and your facial expressions play a vital role in imparting your thoughts, feelings, and personality. Not to mention, most skincare and beauty products are formulated for the face. However, your skin ages everywhere. When all your time and energy is invested from the chin up, there comes a time when you look from the chin down—and are unpleasantly surprised by what you see.
There are anti-aging skincare products for every area of the body and most facial products can be used on your neck and décolletage. Many lip care products and an increasing number of body lotions are formulated with anti-aging ingredients. So, explore your options.
Be sure to prioritize products for the prone to premature aging areas below:
- Lips
- Hands
- Feet
- Neck
- Décolletage
#7 High Sugar Diet and Nutrition
According to Harvard Health, the average American consumes about 17 teaspoons of sugar per day. Consumption should be closer to 6 teaspoons per day for women and 9 teaspoons per day for men. These alarming statistics are relevant, because sugar breaks down collagen, causes collagen crosslink, and damages your DNA.
In addition to aiming to keep sugar to around 24 grams per day, overall nutrition is essential to anti-aging. A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, and other whole foods is a diet high in antioxidants. Antioxidants help your body expel free radicals and repair itself at the cellular level. Skincare and beauty products also contain antioxidants, but you need to support your skin internally and externally.
Last but not least, be sure to hydrate internally with water and externally with facial moisturizers and body lotions. Dehydrated skin is dull, dry, sensitive, and at an increased risk for premature aging.
#8 Sleep
You know when someone tells you that you look tired? They’re referring to your dull skin and red puffy eyes. When you sleep, your body heals and repairs. So, when you don’t get enough sleep, you don’t just feel it—you see it.
To promote quality sleep, don’t use your smartphone in bed, and use blue light filters or blue light glasses when using electronics at least 2 hours before you head to bed. This is because your brain “processes” blue light as sunlight. This can disrupt your circadian rhythm, delaying the release of melatonin required to fall asleep and stay asleep.
Can Premature Skin Aging Be Reversed?
In many cases, premature aging can be reversed! Valley Medical Weight Loss and Med Spa offers a range of minimally invasive, non-surgical, and rejuvenating aesthetic treatments to address both premature and naturally timed aging. Many of our treatments stimulate collagen production, stimulating your body to self-repair. This can reverse the signs of aging and slow further aging.
Reach out today to discuss a personalized treatment plan for lifting, toning, and smoothing your skin from head to toe!
