Scientists Explain Why Facial Skin Starts To Sag Early And How To Fight It
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You’re only in your mid-20s and yet one fine day, when you look into the mirror, you notice a teeny tiny wrinkle in the corner of your eye. Have you ever wondered where that come from? Although it’s natural for your skin to lose its elasticity as you grow older, premature signs of aging can be attributed to a number of other factors! Let’s take a look at these factors along with solutions to fight them:
1. Smartphone Use
Excessive use of your phone can cause you to have what’s known as the ‘smartphone face’ (1). Scientists explain that using your phone constantly can alter the way your face looks, with it appearing fuzzy, saggy, and wrinkly.
2. Not Having Foods With Good Fat
If you go on a strict diet, chances are you’ll skip all kinds of fatty foods, whether good or bad. This is wrong as eliminating fats (omega-3 and omega-6 fats) from your diet can reduce the elasticity of your skin and make you look older (2).
3. Hormonal Imbalance
When your body lacks estrogen, your skin loses its elasticity (3). Estrogen aids in the production of collagen and elastin, which thereby prevent wrinkles and skin sagging. A hormonal imbalance can generally disrupt the production of estrogen in your body.
4. Having A Lot Of Sweets
What you eat has a direct and strong impact on your skin health. Having too many foods high in sugar can reduce the elasticity of your skin and speed up the appearance of the signs of aging (4). Experts explain that sugar hinders the production of elastin and collagen in your body.
5. Spending Too Much Time In The Sun
The relation between sun exposure and skin aging is a very strong one (5). The UV rays of the sun can penetrate the deepest layers of your skin and damage it from within. And it is in the deepest layers of your skin where the majority of the collagen is found.
6. Dramatic Weight Loss
Although weight loss is something to be happy about in most cases, a dramatic loss in weight is often laced with bad news – i.e. wrinkles and stretch marks. These can make your skin look much older than it is. Hence, when going on a weight loss plan, you should take it slow instead of focusing on dramatic loss in a short time.
7. Dental Issues
Dental problems such as an incorrect bite or a wisdom tooth that gives problems can have a negative effect on the muscles in your face. An incorrect bite can put extra strain on your facial muscles, which can lead to saggy cheeks.
8. Lack Of Sleep
Not sleeping 7-9 hours each day is a common culprit behind the appearance of wrinkles on your skin (6). Nighttime, when you’re asleep, is when your skin repairs itself. If it doesn’t get enough time to do so, your skin may always look and feel tired, thereby causing you to look older.
9. Jogging
Jogging might pack in several health benefits but your skin health is not one of them. Dr. Gerald, a cosmetic surgeon, explains that the shaking motion of jogging coupled with the exposure to the elements can age your skin faster (7). That means you can end up with ‘hanging’ cheeks if you jog too much.
10. A Constantly Worried Nature
Whatever you’re worried about on the inside will reflect in the expressions your face wears. Furrowed brows and the corners of your lips pointing down can turn into a fixed expression that can be very difficult to undo. Besides, a nature like this can increase your stress levels and negatively impact your skin quality (8).
How Can You Put An End To Saggy Cheeks?
As big a problem as saggy cheeks might be, they’re not without solution. At least till the time you’re young. Here are a few ways you can effectively fight saggy cheeks:
- Cosmetics rich in vitamin C or made of aloe vera gel can help regenerate and rejuvenate your skin.
- Contouring with the help of cosmetics can help you achieve sharp features. Only thing to keep in mind is to choose a shade that matches your skin tone.
- Following a healthy diet that promotes collagen production can help you fight saggy cheeks. You should eat foods such as nuts, fish, lettuce, and avocado regularly.
- A lymphatic drain massage can help uplift and tighten your cheeks. You’ll find plenty of tutorials online.
- Facial exercises that focus on tightening your facial muscles can also help.
A taut and firm face is no doubt an attractive one. So, make sure you do everything you can to fight saggy cheeks on your end.
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