Marina | February 18, 2014 | Beauty |

You may not know it but the little things you are so used to doing can actually be causing your skin harm. When it comes to beauty and skin care, the first and most important thing to consider is hygiene and sanitation. Your skin, sensitive or not, gets irritated by dirt and other things which may cause it to break out. Wrinkles, on the other hand, can be caused by stressing your skin out too much. To prevent skin damage, it’s important that you know which habits to kick and which ones to keep. Of course, we all know that smoking and consuming a poor diet are some of the biggest culprits but here are some more destructive habits that can damage your skin that you may not be aware of.

• Chewing gum – while chewing gum is a great way to instantly freshen up your breath, doing so regularly may cause lines wrinkles to appear earlier than you would like around your mouth area. This is because when you chew gum, the muscles in your mouth do the same motion over and over again promoting over-activity which, over time, may lead to the potential breakdown of the supportive tissues within the skin and may also cause the loss of skin elasticity in the area. If you need an instant breath freshener after a garlic-loaded meal, try breath strips of breath sprays instead. Mints can also help.

• Putting a dirty cell phone on your face – take a minute and think of all the places where your cell phone has been. Did you leave it on top of a dirty counter? Did you place it on the sink counter playing music while you took your morning shower? Or perhaps you just dumped it in your purse because you were so busy and your phone just sunk down the bottom where most of the junk in your purse sits? Chances are that you did all these and then when your phone rings, you carelessly put it on your ear, making direct contact with your skin. And, when all the bacteria on your phone accumulate on your skin, you experience a break out. To avoid this, make sure to wipe your phone with an anti-bacterial wipe or better yet, keep it in a pouch / case when not in use.

• Sleeping with makeup on – this is one habit we girls know we should avoid but keep on doing. Sleeping with makeup on not only causes breakouts but can also make skin age faster when done regularly. Make it a point to always clean your face before you hit the sack, no matter how tired you are. It would also be a good idea to keep a pack of makeup remover wipes on your bed side table in case you really don’t have the energy to walk to the bathroom and wash your face. Just take a sheet, wipe your face and get rid of most of the products on it and snooze off. Cleanse a little deeper in the morning, if you do decide to do this, to make sure no build up is left.

• Frequent long hot baths – it’s one of the best ways to relax, I know. Unfortunately, doing frequent long hot baths can damage your skin. When the water is too hot, it tends to strip your skin of the natural oils that keep it moisturized and as a result, you are left with dry and itchy skin. Instead of a hot bath, opt for a warm one instead and if you still choose to do long hot baths every now and then, don’t forget to moisturize well right after.