Are You Damaging Your Skin?

by Kris Pitcher

Oh the things we do to our skin! There are obvious things we do which can harm our skin but here are several damaging things that are prematurely aging your skin.

• Insomnia - did you know that stress induced loss of sleep promotes premature aging of the skin.
• Under active thyroid - the reduced hormone levels caused by hypothyroidism can cause dry, flaky skin.
• Very low consumption of essential fatty acids - get your omegas in order to keep your skin from excessive dryness.
• Eating highly processed foods - a diet high in overly processed foods promotes skin cell damage. Watch out for those free radicals...
• Inflammation - causes puffiness, blemishes and pigmentation. Inflammation can be caused from foods and alcohol as well as systemic issues.
• Elevated glucose levels - this can actually cause glycation, where sugars attach themselves to amino acids in collagen reducing its regenerative ability promoting wrinkles, sagging and "creping" skin.

There is a lot we can do from the inside out to take better care of our skin. It starts with eating a clean, balanced diet and drinking plenty of water. Follow that by getting enough rest, managing your daily stress, and paying attention to your environment and you may just keep yourself looking younger longer.