7 deadly skin sins

Are you guilty of crimes against your skin? Read on for how to atone…

1. Skimping on suncare

 

Sun protection isn't just for summer. The harmful UV rays in sunlight that lead to premature skin ageing reach us all year round, no matter what the weather. Skimp on skincare and not only are the lines and wrinkles going to come through deeper and faster, but your skin's more likely to become patchy and develop dark ‘age' spots on sun-exposed areas. Skin will lose firmness faster and appear drier, too.

 

Expert advice

 

‘Wearing sun protection every day is definitely rule number one when it comes to skincare,' says Boots skincare scientific adviser Stewart Long. To what degree the sun will damage your skin depends on your natural defences against UV rays - the fairer your skin, the more sun exposure will take its toll. But as a general guide, you should use an SPF of at least 15 daily all year round to shield your skin from the sun's ageing rays.

 

Products to try

 

Double the skin-saving effects with intensive anti-wrinkle creams such as Roc Retin Ox Day, £24.95 for 30ml (www.rocskinclinic.co.uk), which has just been reformulated to give UV protection.

 

Olay Total Effects Touch Of Sunshine, £16.99 for 50ml (http://olay.co.uk), has the added benefit of faking a sun-kissed glow.

 

2. Neglecting your neck

 

The fine, delicate skin on the neck is one of the fi rst areas to show the tell-tale signs of ageing, so it needs extra-special TLC. That's why, when it comes to skincare, you should think of your face as ending at your chest- not your chin.

 

Expert advice

 

‘When I carry out micro-dermabrasion or a skin peel, I alwaystreat the neck too,' says Frances Furlong, a registered nurse practitioner at Skin Health Spa (0800 037 1090), which has branches in London, Birmingham and Manchester.

‘There's absolutely no point making the face look more radiant and youthful if you're going to leave out your neck and chest. In fact, it will make the skin below your chin look worse,' says Frances. So be sure to apply your face creams- especially those with SPF protection- to beyond your collarbone


3. Keeping products too long

 

As with food, beauty products have a ‘use by' date. And just as food won't taste its best after a ‘best before' date, there's no guarantee that many beauty products will work as well once their time is up.

 

You're likely to notice that their fragrance and texture aren't up to scratch, but, more worryingly, bacteria build-up could lead to break-outs or even infection, especially when it comes to eye products. And, if you use out-of-date sunscreen, you're liable to burn.

 

Just like the contents of your kitchen cupboards, beauty products start to deteriorate once they have been opened. In order to find out how long you can use them, look for the image of an opened jar on your product, which will have a number and the letter ‘M' beside it, representing the maximum number of months you should keep a product once it has been opened.

 

4. Squeezing your spots

 

Tempting as it can be, squeezing or picking at a pimple is a big no-no- it can cause the area to become more inflamed, so you're more likely to be left with a scar. It can also cause trauma to the pore, meaning it won't work as efficiently, making future blemishes more likely.

 

Products to try

 

Instead of attacking blackheads, whiteheads or spots with your fingers, use a blemish-reducing treatment such as Liz Earle Spot-On, £7.50 for 6ml (http://uk.lizearle.com; 01983 813913), which has natural ingredients to help shrink spots.

 

Skincare products with pore-clearing salicylic acid, such as Garnier Skin Naturals Daily Purifying Pads, £4.99 for 56 pads (www.garnier.co.uk), will not only help stop spots in their tracks, they'll help prevent new ones appearing, too.

 

You can also clean out blocked pores with Bioré Deep Cleansing Pore Strips, £7.99 for six (from Boots), which are the next best thing to having a professional extraction at a beauty salon.

 

Read on for three more skincare no no's ...

 

 

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