As new skincare products and procedures continue to gain popularity, it’s no secret that everyone wants healthy and radiant skin.
While sticking to a skincare routine is crucial, your daily lifestyle habits also play a significant role in your skin’s appearance.
An unhealthy lifestyle can start to show on your skin, causing dull and acne-prone skin that can be hard to manage.
An improvement in your lifestyle can do more for your skin than any expensive skincare cream could.
With these five lifestyle changes, you can improve your skin’s appearance and start to feel better.
1. Reducing Stress
Nothing can age someone faster than having high-stress levels.
We’ve all heard that stress causes acne, but stress also significantly affects your skin’s aging.
The most common symptoms that prolonged stress has on your skin are dark circles, fine lines, and under-eye bags.
To keep your stress levels in check, consider using these two stress management techniques:
Exercise
Aerobic exercise elevates your endorphins, leading to a more positive attitude and reduced stress levels.
Exercise has also been shown to improve blood circulation, promote collagen production, and increase new skin cell growth.
All three of these benefits lead to more youthful and vibrant skin.
Meditation
For only a few minutes each day, you can meditate and reduce your body’s stress levels significantly.
Meditating will help to reset your brain from being overloaded throughout the day, restoring your body to its calm state.
The effects of meditation last throughout the day, not just during your practice.
2. Staying Safe in the Sun
Excessive sun exposure starts to reduce the skin’s elasticity and collagen, leading to wrinkles and sunspots.
A lifetime of excessive sun exposure can also lead to an increased chance of developing skin cancer.
If you haven’t already done so, start incorporating sunscreen into your daily skincare routine.
Staying safe in the sun doesn’t mean you can’t leave your house, but you must be mindful about protecting your skin.
To prevent sun damage, reduce your time in direct sunlight, and use a broad-spectrum SPF 30 sunscreen daily to protect your skin.
Be aware that sunscreen needs to be reapplied after every two hours of sun exposure.
3. Using Physical Exfoliants Properly
Exfoliating your skin is a great way to remove dead skin, revealing a softer and healthier layer underneath.
However, some people have misused physical exfoliates, severely damaging their skin’s moisture barrier.
Learning the proper way to exfoliate your skin will improve your complexion and keep your skin damage-free.
To properly exfoliate your skin, use a gentle scrub, and do not harshly scrub your face.
Washing your face with a harsh exfoliant will cause micro-tears on your skin, causing severe irritation.
Also, limit the number of times you exfoliate your skin to two to three times each week if your skin can handle it.
4. Staying Hydrated
Along with keeping your skin hydrated from the outside with moisturizers, drinking plenty of water keeps your skin hydrated from the inside out.
Your skin is 64% water. Staying hydrated will give your skin the necessary tools it needs to stay healthy.
Drinking sufficient water also helps to flush out toxins in your body that could reveal on your skin.
Aim to drink at least eight glasses of water each day to keep your body adequately hydrated.
The more hydrated you are, the fewer wrinkles, puffiness, and acne will show up on your skin.
Drinking more water will also do more than improve your skin; you will also have more energy and feel better overall.
5. Sleep More
Getting enough sleep can work wonders in improving the complexion of your skin.
Being sleep-deprived will elevate hormones such as cortisol that speed up the aging process and cause acne.
Sleep-deprivation worsens skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, and dermatitis.
While you are sleeping, cortisol levels decrease, and your body repairs the skin damage accumulated throughout the day.
It’s recommended that you sleep anywhere from 7 to 9 hours each night to give your skin enough time to repair itself fully.
As you start to sleep more each night, you will notice your complexion starting to become more youthful.
Conclusion
Improving your skin doesn’t have to break the bank with expensive creams and lotions.
Having healthy skin is more than the products you use on your face.
Developing a healthy lifestyle and routine is the key to having the skin you have always wanted.
With these five easy lifestyle changes, you can turn dull skin into glowing youthful skin.
