Keeping ourselves looking young and healthy is something a lot of us Malaysians probably try our best to do. Nobody wants wrinkles or saggy skin, especially on their faces right? If this is you, regardless of what gender or how old you are, you need to take note of these daily habits you’re most probably guilty of doing that are actually causing you to look old much faster:
1. You love indulging in chocolates and all things sweet
Most, if not all Malaysians, have a sweet tooth. Whether it’s chocolates, teh tarik, kuih-muih, or other delicious desserts, these things are extremely high in sugar and can actually contribute to your wrinkles and other signs of ageing.
Too much sugar actually leads to glycation, a process where sugar molecules attach to your collagen, making it hard and less flexible. This in turn causes premature wrinkling.
2. You smoke
You probably already know smoking is bad for pretty much every single organ in your body, but that’s not it! Smoking does horrible things to your skin and complexion too.
According to a study done on 79 pairs of twins, it was found that the twin from each pair who was currently smoking or had been smoking for five years more had greater eye bags, more lip wrinkles, and jowls. So, if you want to keep yourself looking younger, time to get rid of the tobacco and say “no” to your stress-relieving smoke breaks at work or uni!
3. You’re constantly on your phone or computer
Whenever you use your phone or computer, odds are you’re tilting your head downwards. When you do this, it doesn’t just cause sore necks and strained eyes, but over time, you’ll develop chin and neck wrinkles too, and that’s not a good look at all. If you have to use your phone or computer for hours on end, try making sure they’re placed or held at eye level.
4. You often take part in “happy hour” with your bros
Grabbing a cold one with your gang is a great way to kick back and relax. Nothing wrong with that! But if you’re the type who enjoys indulging in alcoholic beverages often, this will lower antioxidant levels in your skin. This will consequently cause inflammation and free radical damage (leading to wrinkles much earlier on in life). Alcohol is also extremely dehydrating and will cause your face to look and feel dry. And dry skin is more susceptible to wrinkles in case you didn’t know!
5. You love chewing gum
If you’re the type who chews gum often to maintain your fresh breath, or maybe just out of habit, you might want to consider switching to mints or mouthwash instead.
Simply because the action of chewing constantly will cause the corners of your mouth to form a downwards turn, making your face look saggy. It will also create a pronounced muscle at the bottom of your jawline. This must be why Singapore banned chewing gum…
6. You spend a lot of time under the sun
Whether it’s sports or just driving out to get lunch, being under the afternoon sun (with peak time being 10am to 2pm) is incredibly bad for your skin. The UV rays from the sun causes free radicals that damage elastin, collagen, as well as skin cells. This will then lead to early signs of ageing on the face such as wrinkling, dark spots, even the development of skin cancer.
Fun fact: If you drive around at noon often, the right side of your face may show more apparent signs of ageing because it’s more exposed to the sun.
According to a research, those who used products with SPF 30 however, showed lesser wrinkles and instead, managed to reverse other signs of ageing already on the skin.
7. You hate sleeping early
Sleep is obviously an important part of our daily lives. Lack of sleep can lead to a multitude of problems including depression, hormone imbalances, high blood pressure and of course, signs of early ageing! It’s a good thing I like sleeping…
According to Dr Zeichner, the director of cosmetic and clinical research at Mount Sinai Hospital, our skin cells function on a circadian rhythm; meaning, at night is when they repair the damage our skin endured during the day. Not getting enough sleep causes the process to become kelam-kabut and your skin won’t have enough time to heal itself. This leads to less healthy cells and premature ageing.
8. You don’t bother using toners or lotions because you’re macho like that
Calling all men! If you think only your sisters, aunties, mothers or girlfriends need to use toners and lotions, you couldn’t be more wrong. Regardless of gender, when you don’t use proper facial toners or lotions after cleansing, you lose out on the vitamins and moisture needed by the skin to stay young, firm and blemish-free. In fact, dehydration is one of the main causes of early ageing skin since lack of moisture prevents the skin from properly repairing itself.
Well, if you’re a guy who doesn’t use facial toners or lotions at home, and this scares you, or maybe you’re looking for better products for your skin, why not give the new LANEIGE HOMME Blue Energy Skin Toner and LANEIGE HOMME Blue Energy Essence in Lotion a try? Yes, LANEIGE offers male products too! #genderequalityFTW
The gel-type anti-ageing Blue Energy Skin Toner contains 74.9% Deep Sea Water as well as Centella Asiatica extract, making the product packed with essential minerals needed to revitalise and soothe your tired skin. The Blue Energy Essence in Lotion on the other hand contains 75.8% Deep Sea Water and Spirulina extract, both of which help to tackle skin dullness, dryness, loss of elasticity and wrinkles! As exhibited on the ever charming, Park Seo Joon’s face. #skingoals
For the best results, use the toner, then the lotion right after you’ve cleansed your face thoroughly!
Find out more about LANEIGE and their wide range of products here!