Too Many Products
If you use a toner, a serum, an eye cream, a night cream, or another combination of multiple products, check with a dermatologist to make sure that you aren’t doing more harm than good. Many products contain ingredients that can interact negatively with other products, or even neutralize them entirely. Not only can bad reactions wreak havoc on your skin, but buying counteractive products is also a waste of money. Ingredients that are more prone to react poorly with other products include benzoyl peroxide, retinols, and glycolic acid.
Not Enough Sleep
As if anybody needed an excuse to get more sleep … During deep sleep, our bodies rejuvenate our skin by digesting dead cells and regenerating new ones. When someone has a prolonged lack of sleep, this “taking out the trash” doesn’t get done, and the result is that the skin begins to look dull and lifeless. A lack of sleep also results in higher levels of cortisol, a stress hormone that promotes inflammation.
Running
The good news about running is that it promotes blood flow and releases stress. The bad news is that it exacerbates the effects of gravity, and the repetitive up-and-down pounding motion can eventually lead to sagging. Dermatologists caution that avid runners simply avoid other behaviors that can contribute to aging, and start an anti-aging skin care regimen earlier than normal.b
