The 7 big skin sins | LOVE YOUR SKIN & BODY BLOG

Skincare imageNone of us want to age before our time, right? And none of us want grey sallow skin…Of course not! As we are now living longer we want to stay looking, feeling and being younger for longer.

Of course some of the ageing process comes from Genetics, so looking at your parents will give you a good indication of how you will hold out in old age (I am praying I get my mums genes, lord help me if I take after my dad!) BUT there are so many other factors that can really make a HUGE difference when it comes to slowing down the ageing process, and keeping that gorgeous youthful glow, so there really is hope! Would it surprise you to know that only 10% of ageing comes from our genes. The rest is down to the environment we put ourselves in, the food we eat, the nutrients we absorb and the products we apply. This means we can stop premature ageing and stay wrinkle free for as long as possible. Who likes the sound of that?!

People often ask me ‘does what I eat really affect my skin?’ the answer is a BIG FAT YES!!!

Here are the 7 things you must avoid at all costs if you want fabulous glowing, wrinkle free skin

1 – Exposure to excessive sunlight.

Notice the word ‘excessive’ We need some sunlight as it is our main source of vitamin D, which is a vital vitamin for bone health, skin health and much much more. BUT basking in the sun 24/7 will most certainly lead to the leather hand bag look that none of us want to be sporting. There are 2 types of rays that we get from the sun. UVB rays are the rays that burn you but UVA rays are the ageing rays. UVA penetrates through glass, which is why we tend to age more on the right side of our face (due to the side of the road we drive on) whereas in the USA they age more on the left side. So rather than just thinking about using a sunscreen when we are in sunlight we need to think about using it all the time as the UVA rays will penetrate clouds and glass. Zinc oxide is a powdered mineral that sits on top of the skin,scattering and absorbing UVA & UVB rays so is a good choice to look for when looking for effective and safe sun protection. Consider your day lotion? Does it have an SPF and do you know the source of that SPF? There is no point slapping an SPF on if it is a heavily chemically based on which could be doing your skin and body more harm than the sunlight itself

2- Mineral oil

Woman with facemask taking a selfieThis is a by-product of the petrol industry. It is in a huge proportion of products on the market and acts like cling film on the skin. Not only does this mean your biggest detoxifying organ is being suffocated, it also intensifies the damaging effects of the sun! Some studies have shown it to be the 2nd biggest ager of the skin after the sun as it disrupts the skins natural function so when looking for your anti ageing products check the labels for mineral oil (also known as Petrolatum, Petroleum or parrafinum liquidum)

3- Sugar

People often ask me ‘does what I eat really affect my skin?’ the answer is a BIG FAT YES!!! Our bodies are made up from the food we eat and absorb. Sugar, that pesky little devil can cause fine lines and wrinkles. Who would have thought it?! It does this by attaching to the collagen in your skin making it stiff and inflexible. When your collagen is cross linked with sugar, you end up with stiff, sagging skin. So ditch the sweet treats to preserve your youth

4- Dirty make up brushes

Make up brushes are a breeding ground for bacteria. You would be totally grossed out if you put your make up brushes that haven’t been washed under a microscope. If you are finding that you are getting spotty, maybe it is time to wash those brushes. I would recommend doing this on a weekly basis.

I was the QUEEN of low fat diets in my teens. As a professional dancer, I believed it was the only way to stay slim…oh how wrong I was. No wonder my skin was dull, lifeless and dry.

5- Sleeping in your make up

I know I know, sometimes we just want to crawl into bed and turn the lights out but it will impact your skin. Especially if you are using chemically based make up which I would recommend avoiding in the first place. I choose to use Arbonne Internationals mineral based make up which is treatment based as I know it doesn’t contain any pore clogging ingredients and is actually feeding my skin with anti-ageing elements..Double bonus!! Sleeping in make up will cause blocked pores, dirt trapped next to the skin and ultimately grey spotty skin.

6- Dehydration

Up to 60% of our bodies are water so if you are dehydrated this will have an effect on the skin cells. Skin appears youthful when it is loaded with moisture so you want to keep as much moisture in the skin cells as possible to preserve that glow. Think about how much older you look the next morning when you have had a night out on the town. The wrinkles are ten times worse because your skin is parched

7- Low fat diets

You need fat…fact!!! Every cell in the body needs fat to function as the outer layer of cells are made from fats. Not only that, your hormones are made from fat too so if you are eating low fat, you will have out of balance hormones which in turn will affect hair, nails and skin. I was the QUEEN of low fat diets in my teens. As a professional dancer, I believed it was the only way to stay slim…oh how wrong I was. No wonder my skin was dull, lifeless and dry. Consuming foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids leads to smoother, younger-looking skin with a visible reduction in inflammatory skin conditions like acne and psoriasis. These fats are abundant in cold water fatty fish such as sardines, salmon, mackerel, tuna, anchovies, and herring. So don’t fear the fat. Instead fear the sugar and refined carbohydrates!

Sleeping in make up will cause blocked pores, dirt trapped next to the skin and ultimately grey spotty skin.

For more information on product recommendations please feel free to get in touch.

About the author

As a specialist in botanical beauty, skin health and weight loss I now share with others my top tips as a qualified nutritional therapist and botanical skincare and cosmetics company owner, on how to get clean and lean, feel great about yourself and have glowing, youthful skin for life…Just what we all want! Follow Sarah’s blog or visit: www.sarah-may.biz.
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