The Seven Deadly Skin Sins We All Commit

Many of us lack serious skincare. A military regime to abide by every morning, noon and night isn’t necessary, we just need to know how to treat our skin well.

The Seven Deadly Skin Sins will show what we’re doing wrong, a lot of them are without us even realising…

Skin Sin One: Not Getting Enough Anti-Oxidants

We should be chowing down on at least five to seven servings of fresh fruit and vegetables everyday to keep our antioxidant levels up to scratch. If we don’t get enough, we are not getting enough nutrition for our skin. This could speed up the breakdown of collagen in our skin cells. This can result in wrinkles and skin sagging.

Skin Sin Two: Too Many Products

You have your moisturiser, toner and cleanser like most, but you also have six other ‘magic’ creams you use on a nightly basis. It’s just too much for our skin to handle. Your bathroom could have enough skincare products to stock Boots but this isn’t what our skin needs. Our skin only absorbs about 50 per cent of what we apply on it, so keep it simple and keep your skin looking bright.

Skin Sin Three: Exfoliating Too Much

It’s very easy to become obsessed. Suddenly even the smallest irregularity on your skin is being scrubbed, brushed and padded. Many women think they must scrib their faces or do harsh peels. Although exfoliation is important for skin cell turnover, which contributes to a perky complexion, it is actually possible to go too far. This can result in irritated and over-sensitive skin.

Skin Sin Four: Skipping Sunscreen

For a lot of us, the only sunscreen we buy is for our much-anticipated two-week holiday abroad, but we should be applying sunscreen everyday. Think about your skin and SPF everyday and save yourself from premature wrinkles, dry skin and serious skin diseases.

Skin Sin Five: Over-Doing The Caffeine

Dehydration makes for dull, flaky and lifeless skin. Caffeine is a diuretic and you could be losing far more water than it needs to be. Make sure not to over-do the caffeine habit and always make sure you are hydrated.

Skin Sin Six: Applying Heavy Creams On Thin Skin

We can lather our skin in all sorts of moisturisers and not think about what we are actually doing. Our face alone is made up of different types and thicknesses of skin. The skin around our eyes is completely different to the skin on our noses, and our cheek skin is far thicker than that of our neck. If you've ever seen little white bumps around your eyes, you may be using products that are too heavy near this sensitive, thin-skinned area. Take care of how and where you use your skin products.

Skin Sin Seven: Getting Stressed

Stress triggers your adrenal glands to release extra cortisol, which in turn stimulates sweat and oil production. This can aggravate breakouts and skin disorders such as eczema. Stress also produces a chemical called cytokine, and that increases inflammation and water retention. It is in your own interest and your skin’s interest that you try to keep yourself stress-free…