Daily habits that are ruining our skin

We love ourselves but at times unintentionally we end up ruining our skin,hair..At times dermatologist also dont find it important  to mention but coming from a family of dermatologists I feel sharing these tips will help.

1)Sleep- How to ?

How you sleep is a major factor in your skin forming wrinkles.Talking about beauty sleep which is really a no-cost way to refresh the skin but how you sleep really matters.Sleeping on sides or on your tummy ceases the blood flow and leads to accumulation of blood and fluid. That is the reason for waking up in morning with swollen face. Repeatedly sleeping on same side or on stomach may eventually cause wrinkles, so if your face is puffy next morning or you have crease lines on your face check your sleeping position.

The best way to sleep is on your back, on neat pillows as pillow covers accumulate dead skin and dirt and your face sleeping partner may be the cause of your sudden breakouts.Silk pillows are better option as they feel soft but I have heard that amino acids in them get absorbed in skin and is beneficial...which i am not sure!

So Its a good idea to sleep watching your ceiling fan .

2)Applying Night creams

Every skin doesn't need a beauty creme to be applied at night until unless one is suffering from medical conditions like pigmentation, rosacea or dryness. Whole day skin is loaded with makeup and stuff, at night washing with mild cleanser is enough.Allow the skin and the pores to breathe.If dryness persists or there is still an urge to apply creme, do not go for expensive complicated cremes just because they advertise good.You are in a way paying for their advertisement cost.Coconut oil comes to rescue to all types skin people..if your skin is oily or dry or you are fighting wrinkles apply coconut oil mixed with aloevera gel and sleep with a happy skin.

Alternatively almond oil applied with a capsule of vitamin E is equally good.If your skin has had enough layers of application during day and that is not avoidable ,just clean with a mild cleanser and apply a light moisturizer .Applying oil like jojoba oil , coconut oil , olive oil,almond oil acts as a cleaner for the skin and prevents wrinkles making skin look soft and supple.

3)Take care of hair to keep skin clean

Your hair accumulates dust and grime throughout the day and we unlike our face do not wash them everyday.Hair have oil and dirt on them which when come in contact with our skin causes bacteria transfer from hair to skin and results in breakouts .

What can we do:Tie your hair loose at the back so that the oil produced naturally on scalp or even applied oil should not transfer to skin.At times before going for an outing at night we apply hair products like hair spray,mousse, hair gel but do not wash or clean our hair like we clean our face at night.These products can be handled by hair for a night as they are meant for them but if they penetrate in facial skin, it might react and cause acne or zits.

According to hair expert Dr Williams he also recommends not to tie your too tight at back as it can cause recession in your hairline.

4)Toners not necessary

Beauty regime that we all follow is Cleansing , Toning and Moisturizing.Cleaning with soaps would leave the residue in skin so they were replaced by good mild cleansers which are sufficient to clean and maintain the natural PH balance of skin.

Toners include alcohol which dries the skin with overuse and can be a cause of acne in oily skin and paraben found causes allergic reactions.Toners help in returning skin to natural ph balance but using it everyday suppresses the acidic content of the skin which is useful in prevention of bacteria attack which results in pimples,zits.More of alkaline content in skin leads to wrinkles,lines and sun damage.

Exfoliate skin regularly, apply moisturizer, sunscreen , exercise and stress free healthy routine will take care of skin.Skin has its natural process of curing itself, old cells die and new form and the quality of cells forming largely depends on your lifestyle,what you eat,what you think and external application of products is a mere add-on to the whole process.

So do not skip that daily walk or exercise routine but you can skip products to be applied to your skin.

5)Avoid waxing your face

A very debatable topic whether waxing is a better option than shaving but one fact is true as per dermatologist is that hair never grows thick or coarse in either of the procedures but waxing tends to disturb the hair follicle if pulled strongly which can lead to acne,scarring and serious infection.

• Waxing helps in removing hair from face specially side locks but also pulling of skin welcomes acne and breakouts in skin.Pores get opened and are more prone to bacterial infection. Used spatula in salons used for waxing further aggravates the problem. Ice compression immediately followed provides relief ,but every time pulling off hair like this causes wrinkles,sagging of skin,damage of skin cells,change in skin color ,ingrown hair,bumps and rashes.
• Immediately after waxing avoid going under sun and before waxing consume an anti allergic.
• Skin shaving and bleaching is considered a better option as in shaving dead cells are removed but it has to be done more regularly than waxing. Dont worry one will not grow thick beard or mustaches cause skin shaving doesn't make hair grow thick.It makes one look more radiant ,dead cells are cleaned and make up too looks flawless .Shaving also helps in preventing wrinkles.Supporters claim that regular face shaving can mimic the dermaplaning effect by not only exfoliating the skin, but also stimulating collagen production and softening fine lines over time.

These all are temporary way of hair removal and for permanent removal from serious hair problem one should opt for lasers.

6)Air-conditioning

Air conditioning is an existence in every construction.But sitting for long hours in air conditioning room tends to dry the skin, cause irritation,eczema,dry lips and scaly skin .Sudden change in temperature from cold to outside temperature when getting out of room or car also leads to stress in skin as it is unable to change itself from the temperature variations.As we cannot avoid situations but we can take preventive measures to avoid creasing of skin.

Even if one is not feeling thirsty sipping water at regular intervals will help.Apply lip balms and cremes to keep the face moist.Keep a bowl of water in the room so that water is used from bowl and moisture content is maintained in the room.Use room humidifiers.

7)Your phone is gross

Your phone or ur best friend but your daily usage of phone is a havoc to your skin!We are not discussing about the harmful radiations but your phone is a storehouse of germs.Make up,our continuous chats and sweat and where we keep our phone at times in jeans pocket,purses ,cases which are carrying bacteria results in Breakouts on skin ,acne or nasty rashes .To avoid this problem phone should be cleaned by rubbing alchol and if it is in a case do change the case regularly.

WRINKLES are also a contribution of mobiles! DR.Frank a dermatologist adheres with this fact that reading small fonts on the screen regularly and squinting leads to wrinkles and formation of crows feet around eyes.

Bending your neck to check the phone and surf on it leads to pain in neck shoulder ,so next time reading the phone bring it parallel to your face,your neck will thank you.

Pleasure talk and official talk leads to warming up of the phone or heats the phone which is equivalent to sunburn.It increases the melanin production and causes dark spots.Long conversations if are not avoidable use handsfree or bluetooth.

8)Over washing face throughout the day is hazardous

For most people washing and cleaning and scrubbing becomes an integral part of the routine as they feel these things if not practiced daily will make dirt sit and clog our pores,leading to breakouts.Skin cleaning products have become the most important commercial market and using chemicals in products ,selling it with great advertisements, it is actually making one fall to prey of their idea of ruining skin then reapplying their products to get that shine and glow back(which never happens)and we become a part of that vicious circle.

Nature has provided our skin with natural barriers in form of natural oil which our skin extracts to absorb right ingredients and block dirt and pollution settling on.

Everyone is born with natural face oils that protect and take care of the skin on their own. When the face is constantly cleansed and scrubbed with skin care lines, the chemicals in the products strip the skin of its natural and essential oils. Because the basic oils are reduced, the skin reproduces and creates an excess amount of them. The oversupply of oils often cause skin to become greasy which creates breakouts.

So more you wash your face and make it dry more oil skin will produce to make it moisturized and imbalance in natural cycle of skin replenishment will occur which leads to then breakouts!Oily skin doesnot mean you need to keep skin dry and feeling stretched.Moisturizer is very important as skin top layer naturally moisturizes your skin but applying moisturizer reinforces that barrier nature has given to keep water in. remember moisturizing is not adding oil but adding water to skin!

So one should not wash face at all during day?

If you have removed makeup properly at night and applied good skin oil to avoid dryness,then in morning simply splashing your face with water would do. Skipping those toners and astringents will bless your skin specially acne prone skin.If u cant avoid it try alcohol free solution like witch hazel,glycerin and rosewater,apple cider vinegar as toner.

Throw that soap and strong face washes which are very smartly advertised for dry skin,oily skin ,normal skin,bla blah ...and use honey,oatmeal or oil to clean your face.Starting such a routine will definitely confuse your skin for 2-3 days as it will eventually realize its normal course of action to produce right amount of oil .

Cleaning skin with oils like jojoba oil,coconut oil,olive oil will make skin supple.They are best makeup removers without chemicals and allergens and in long run if skin is moisturized properly will help in preventing ageing as well.

Nature has all the right ways to heal us just a bit of external help required if a problem is major,but just entirely taking command in your hands and dependency on external products weakens the natural functioning of body,affects the immunity and we become slave of outside world.Love and respect your body.

9)No milk please

Glass of milk that you have been drinking before going to school , during teenage and adulthood compensating for the body requirement of calcium may be the hidden cause of breakout,acne or pimples .

Milk - even organic -- contains its own hormones which are injected to animals during pregnancy and milking  and growth factors that are absorbed into the bloodstream. These hormones progesterone and estrogen have androgenic effects that can cause acne in women. Dairy products are also pro-inflammatory, which means they can worsen acne issues , accelerate aging, says dermatologist Nicholas causes cancer .
Perricone, M.D. and

 Milk contains lactose which is hard to digest leading to bloating,indigestion resulting in imbalanced system which reflects on skin in form of pigmentation and breakouts,So find your calcium in other forms like almond milk( recipe shared),soy milk sardines,broccoli,soy,nuts ,tofu,green leafy vegetables.

Cut dairy products from your diet for 2 months as cell life span is of 120 days and if there is change in skin texture,breakouts .Try introducing one dairy product at a time slowly and see if skin was sensitive to a specific dairy product or not.

Milk consumption leads to breaking of bones and osteoporosis. Studies(link) have showed that women consuming milk regularly are more prone to bone fractures as consuming animal protein has more calcium leaching effect than promoting. On average we consume 30% of total calcium  found in yogurt,milk,cheese and twice the calcium found in green vegetables like kale,spinach,carrot and other plants.

ALMOND MILK Ingredients

• 1 bowl almonds
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 5-6 pitted dates
• stevia
• vanilla essence

Cook Time

Prep time: 5 min Cook time: 15 min      Ready in: 20 min     Yields: 3-4 cups   

ALMOND MILK Instructions

1. Soak 1 bowl of almonds overnite with salt.
2. In the morning wash the almonds and put it into blender with 5-6 cups of water depending on the consistency of the milk as you want.
3. Strain the mixture in cheese cloth or kitchen towel .Pour the clear liquid back to blender and add dates or stevia or artificial sweetener, I personally recommend adding dates as it also adds to nutrient value of milk as dates are high in magnesium ,potassium,Vitamin D,vitamin B12.
4. Pour the milk in a jug and store in refrigerator for a week.
5. Pulp of almond which is obtained after sieving can be dried in oven and then grinded to make a powder.It can be mixed in cake recipes bread recipes , soups or stew.