10 ways you might be prematurely ageing your skin, according to experts

Rejoice! Eating helps! (If you eat the right things)

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Late nights, early starts, work stress, boozy evenings and too much sugar - it all takes its toll on your skin.

The negative effects of our hectic lifestyles are resulting in what’s being dubbed ‘FOMO face’.

Essentially, we’re not looking after ourselves well enough because we’re trying to go to every party, watch every hot Netflix series and try every new cocktail bar. And post about it all on social media, of course.

But all this has the potential to prematurely age your skin, resulting in a saggy neck, dry eyes, a puffy face and wrinkles.

There’s nothing wrong with ageing, but if you want to care for your skin and keep it looking younger longer, it might be worth bearing the below in mind.

The 10 subtle ways you might be ageing your skin prematurely:

1. Spending too much time on social media

Not only does ‘tech-neck’ often cause back problems, endless scrolling through your phone could age your neck and jawline quicker.

“Increased activation in the neck muscles needed to look down at devices for long periods of time creates tension in the jaw,” Elizabeth Rimmer, skincare expert and founder of London Professional Aesthetics, told Cosmopolitan.

“The pull of gravity from downwards faces also means sagging in the lower face and neck may start to occur earlier in life.”

2. Drinking through a straw

We’re told using a straw is better for our teeth but apparently it’s actually doing our skin no favours - sucking a straw can contribute to the fine lines and wrinkles around your mouth.

3. Using your phone in bed

We all know the blue light from our phone screen is hampering our sleep, but it turns out the combination of staring at a bright light in a dark room could be ageing our eyes too.

“A bright smartphone in a dark room can cause eyestrain for some people, while staring at a screen can cause dry eyes as your blinking mechanism is suppressed,” says behavioural optometrist Bhavin Shah.

4. Binge-watching TV

Spending too long staring at a computer screen is a no-no when it comes to keeping skin youthful.

The light emitted, known as high energy visible light, “penetrates the deeper levels of the skin, upregulating an enzyme MMP-1,” the Harley Medical Group's dermatologist Dr. Justine Hextall says.

This is important because “MMP-1 breaks down skin collagen and elastin, the structures that keep skin firm and youthful.”

5. Rubbing your skin

You’d be forgiven for thinking a moisturiser or serum might help keep your skin in good condition, but if you’re rubbing it in too aggressively you could be causing more damage.

Instead, it’s better to gently pat or dab to prevent extra stretching of the skin.

6. Drinking too much

One of the many negative side-effects of alcohol is its capacity to dry out the skin.

“Excessive alcohol tends to cause flushing in most people and will act as a diuretic and cause dehydration,” says Dr. Hextall.

“When the skin barrier is dry, skin can become sensitive and start to flake.” Not ideal.

7. Not sleeping enough

If you’re struggling to get sufficient shut-eye, it could be making your skin extra puffy. And that’s something even a beard or a generous layer of makeup can’t hide.

Not catching your 40 winks could even be making your paler according to The Harley Street Dermatology Clinic's Dr Adam Friedmann because melanocortin production decreases - although that’s not a bad thing, of course.

8. Setting your heating too high

Hot temperatures dry out your skin, whether that’s in your central heating or shower.

As the skin dries out, it’s then at risk of cracking and showing off finer wrinkles, the Mail Online reports.

9. Sleeping on the wrong bedlinen

If you can, you ideally want to sleep on a silk pillowcase as they’re much gentler on the skin. This is particularly important if you sleep lying on your side.

Pillowcases made from synthetic materials can results in the build-up of “small folds on your body causing premature wrinkles,” according to Skin Repair Expert, Lorena Öberg.

10. Eating unhealthily - or not eating enough

It’s probably no surprise that sugary, oily foods aren’t doing your skin any good. But you’re also not doing your skin any favours by cutting down on calories too much either.

“Those who are 'too busy' to maintain a healthy nutritional intake may experience accelerated volume loss from the face,” Dr Rimmer explained.

So in order to keep your skin looking young, all you need to do is quit social media, never drink through a straw, stop using your phone in bed or looking at screens for too long, avoid rubbing your skin, go tee-total, sleep more, be forever cold, invest in silk bedlinen and eat a sufficient amount of healthy food.

Baby faces all round.