Youth Incorporated Magazine

The hotness of the summer season in India has raised the bar unexpectedly high this year. Harsh weathers takes a toll especially on the skin first. Yes, body lotions, caps and sunglasses do protect the skin, but your lifestyle and daily habits play a significant role in maintaining healthy skin. 

There are certain common daily habits of yours that might be unknowingly damaging your skin. 

Touching the face constantly

This is one habit everyone has. Our hands constantly keep touching the face be it while rubbing the eyes, or placing one hand on the cheek while sitting. This introduces dirt and bacteria to the skin which causes irritation leading to skin damage. 

Eating too much oily and junk food

It’s the world of fast food like fries, burgers and pizzas. Besides, working late hours or frequent hang out with friends leads to us either ordering food from restaurants or dining in these cafes and restaurants. Consuming food that is unhealthy can have an adverse effect on our digestion process and overall gut health. Health concerns like heat burns, acidity, indigestion, bloating, etc all arise due to the consumption of unhealthy foods. Its effect is seen on the skin usually through acne. 

Pricking acne and zits

A serious concern that has recently been rising. Pricking a zit is the worse thing one can do to their skin. When you prick a pimple or zit or scratch your acne, there are chances it will burst and ooze out either puss or blood. When you fidget with zits, there is a high possibility of it leaving a mark/black spot on the face for a really long time. 

Insufficient sleep

Staying up late into the night scrolling through your phone or working on the screen, partying till late at night and getting only 3-4 hours of sleep causes immense damage to the skin. It leads to ageing and your skin developing wrinkles. Just like your mind, your skin also needs rest so that it can refresh and radiate the next day. 

Simple things you can do to save your skin from getting damaged

Hydrate

Drinking atleast 4 litres of water a day will keep the skin hydrated. Water helps flush out toxins from the body either sweat or urine. If you sweat more, make sure you have a bath twice a day to wipe off accumulated dirt and bacteria from your skin. 

Wash your face with cool water

Pollution in the air and sweat are major irritants for the skin. You must wash your face atleast thrice a day to keep the skin clean. This will also help you to keep acne at bay which usually develops due to the accumulation of dirt and bacteria in the sweat. 

Consume natural cooling foods and fruits 

Fruits and salads are rich in nutrients and have antioxidants. They help the skin to stay fresh. Fresh salads are known to cure indigestion. When your gut is clean, your skin stays fresh. You can also consume natural coolants like Mint leaves,  Kokam, Cucumbers, Basil Seeds, Lemon, etc to reduce the heat in your skin. 

Use lotions and sunscreen creams 

Sunscreen lotions or SPF creams are essential not only in summers but even for regular use. Pollution coupled with harsh UV rays damage the skin. The use of these lotions and creams protects your skin from getting burned and tanned. It helps in keeping the skin smooth. 

While some daily habits can damage your skin, other simple daily habits can also help you to protect your skin. So without any further delay, begin your simple skincare regime now and shed all the damaging habits.