Wrinkles and aging lines can be very distressing especially if they start appearing in your 30s if not earlier. Where the image is becoming all the more important these days, and it can get a lot worse when someone starts addressing you as ‘uncle’.
All about the lines on the face
If you have always had a firm face that has recently started to sag or wrinkle, then it is time to sit up and do something.
When you notice fine lines start appearing, then you know something might not be right. This does not mean that you should go out and buy the most expensive facial products and apply them day and night.
It could well be daily occurrences that could cause your skin to age so quickly. Below are some pointers to take note.
Too much sunlight
Oxidative pressure can age your skin significantly fast and that is common especially when exposed too much to direct sunlight.
While Malaysia does not get as much direct sunlight as countries like New Zealand, it is enough to cause your skin to age very fast. Try to minimize the time spent outdoors but if that is not a choice, apply a good and reliable sunscreen for the face.
It has often been recommended that you should spend some time under the sun for Vitamin D and to get healthy skin. This must be done in moderation and not be too excessive as it could cause skin dehydration as well.
Changes in the body system
Free radicals can cause big changes in the body, especially in the skin cells. This means that your skin changes its appearance and outlook very significantly if not controlled accordingly.
Free radicals can come from the food you consume and a lot from your lifestyle practices like smoking and alcohol. If this is not addressed, it could lead to more serious conditions like cancer and other problems.
Unusually high stress
You could be experiencing a change of lifestyle adopted recently from a new job, moving to a new place and such. As a result, it has created more stress in your life.
This could lead to high blood pressure and lack of sleep which would then cause your brain to work overtime. In the meantime, it increases the aging process in your skin thereby causing lines to appear.
Bad sleeping position
When you sleep, you spend an average of 6 hours in a similar position. If your face is on a pillow in the same position for 6 hours every day, it causes pressure on the muscles in that part of the face.
This will then expedite the aging process of the skin around that area.
Lack of Sleep
Sleeping too long in one position is bad for the face. Not sleeping enough meanwhile will detriment the whole body.
You must make sure to get enough sleep every night (an average of 6 hours at least). When you do not have enough sleep or have bad quality of sleep, it would affect your health like weight gain and reducing your immune system. Meanwhile, your skin will become pale and your face will surely look older.
Exposure to pollutants
This depends largely on the location where you work or stay. If you are staying in the countryside or away from the city, then it might be different. But if you are working in the city, you spend an average of 8 hours exposed to the air there.
The air quality in urban areas has dirt, chemicals, smoke and dust, some of which cannot be seen by the naked eye. Such pollutants have been found to be among the major causes of skin aging as they are known to stimulate free radicals that can cause skin damage.
Smoking and Cigarette smoke
It has been found that smokers often look older than their age. Exposure to cigarette smoke is known to be a direct cause of aging skin.
While smoking has often been directly linked to serious diseases such as cardiovascular conditions, cancer, high blood pressure and such, constant exposure to this type of smoke can cause wrinkles as well.
This applies not only to cigarette smokers but also to those who are always exposed to them. If you work and spend many hours in an enclosed area with cigarette smoke, then it is time to change your lifestyle.
Obesity and weight
Obesity has often been associated with a wide range of medical conditions like diabetes, cancer, joint pains and heart attacks.
When the fats cells are not disposed of, they tend to stay around the body. This will give rise to free radicals that will become more prominent. In return, this will inadvertently increase the aging process which will then cause wrinkles and lines to form in the face and other parts of the body.