Some bad daily habits can accelerate aging. Recently, Dr. Erica Schwartz, chief medical officer at the New York Institute on Aging, said in an interview with the U.S. website "Health Guide": "Often, people do (or don't do) things without thinking every day, and don't realize they can make people age. If you indulge in the following habits, your skin will wrinkle prematurely."
1. Losing weight too quickly. It can cause wrinkles and sagging skin. This is because as we age, our skin gradually loses its elasticity and cannot adapt to rapid weight loss. If you need to lose weight, don't lose more than 1-2 pounds per week.
2. Worrying too much. Doing multiple things at once can cause stress, which releases free radicals, leading to aging. A study published in 2012 in the journal *PLOS ONE* showed that just one week of work stress can damage DNA by shortening telomeres.
3. Keeping the home too warm in winter. Turning up the indoor temperature when it's very cold outside may feel comfortable, but it lowers indoor humidity. This drying effect can "bake" the skin, making wrinkles more prominent, causing itching, and leading to peeling skin. You can use a humidifier to counter the negative effects of dry air. Keeping the room slightly cooler can also help convert white fat, which stores fat, into brown fat, which burns fat.
4. Loving sweets. People who love sweets have faster facial skin aging. Sugar in the blood forms advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which are damaging to the skin. The more sugar you eat, the more AGEs are formed, which damages the protein fibers that keep skin tight and elastic. Once these protein fibers are damaged, the skin will wrinkle and sag.
5. Insufficient sleep. Sleep plays a crucial role in preventing premature skin aging. If you sleep less than 7-8 hours a night, your body doesn't have enough time to repair and regenerate itself, nor can it produce hormones that help maintain youthfulness. People who get enough sleep look younger than their actual age.
6. Not washing your face every day. Dr. Schwartz advises people to wash their face with a cleanser every night and remove all makeup. Although moisturizers can hydrate the skin and make wrinkles less noticeable, never apply moisturizer on a dirty face without washing it first. This
7. Smoking. In addition to shortening your lifespan, smoking also causes premature skin aging; the more you smoke, the more wrinkles you will have. It's not just facial skin that is affected; skin on other parts of the body is also not spared.