10 Bad habits that are likely giving you wrinkles

Wrinkles look great in the right context, like on Shar-Pei puppies or on a baby's rolls of back fat. But when wrinkles show up in the wrong context, like on your face, it's time for an intervention. Address your bad habits to achieve healthier, happier skin.

Tummy and side sleeping
It pains us to report that sleeping on your belly or side may cause wrinkles, because clearly only vampires find it comfortable to fall asleep on their back. Alas, smashing one side of your face against a pillow for a third of your life can cause sleep lines to form. You can try falling asleep on your back, but if you're not a vampire, find a satin pillowcase to minimize the appearance of sleep lines.

Squinting
Your mother was right when she told you that your face would remain frozen in place when you contorted it as a child. Women who squint in the sun or furrow their brows tend to have more wrinkles than women who don't. Protect your skin (and your eyes!) by wearing sunglasses whenever you're out and about.

Not eating fruits and veggies
Unless you live in a hole, you've probably heard the term antioxidants in skin care vernacular. Antioxidants fight skin damage caused by the free radicals that our bodies produce during metabolism. You don't need to obtain antioxidants from facial cream or $10 acai berry juice. Just eat five to seven servings of fruits and veggies every day for all the antioxidants you need.

Drinking excessive alcohol
Alcohol messes with your skin on several levels. First, it greatly depletes the body's levels of vitamin A, which is a powerful antioxidant that helps produce collagen. Second, excessive drinking over long periods of time can cause bloated blood vessels that permanently reduce skin elasticity, Third, alcohol dehydrates the skin and makes it feel like burlap. Gross.

Overusing Botox
Women in their 20s and 30s are headed to dermatologists in record droves for preventive Botox. While some doctors perform the procedure, many experts caution that this approach is expensive and ineffective and may even cause skin sagginess in later years due to loss of elasticity. If you want to do something kind for your skin that reduces signs of aging, try the Clarisonic Deep Pore Detoxifying Solution Kit instead.

Chronic stress
The jury's still out on whether or not chronic stress causes skin aging or if it just precipitates the behaviors that lead to aging. Think about it: When you're stressed, you're more likely to eat too many of the wrong foods, sleep too little, drink alcohol, gain or lose weight and frown. That is, unless you're one of those annoying people with "healthy coping skills."

Sleeping in makeup
What's the harm of crashing after a long night on the town? Well, makeup holds pollutants and free radicals next to your delicate facial skin if you wear it overnight, which prevents the skin from recovering. You're basically wearing a blanket of filth on your skin.

Sunbathing and tanning
Sun exposure is the leading cause of premature skin aging, and it can cause skin cancer, too. If you must spend time in the sun, make sure you use adequate sun protection through the use of clothing and sunscreen. And really, don't use tanning beds, either. Your tan won't look as hot when you're mistaken for a crow.

Rapid weight fluctuations
In addition to eating the right amount of fruits and veggies, it's important to maintain a healthy approach to eating and dieting. Don't go on a yo-yo diet that causes your weight to plummet down and rocket back up again. Rapid weight loss reduces skin elasticity and can cause wrinkles later in life.

Sleeping too little
Healthy sleep habits reduce inflammation throughout the body and help individual cells recover from a hard day's work. Happy cells make happy skin. Love your cells and get the sleep your body needs so you look refreshed.

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