1. Sleeping on Your Side or Tummy
Who knew the way you sleep can contribute to skin sagging? If you love to cozy up on your side or stomach, your skin could sag faster. When your face is pressed against the pillow, it creates friction and pressure, and this constant squishing leads to those annoying sleep lines that develop into permanent wrinkles over time. Try to sleep on your back and use a silk pillowcase to stop speeding up facial sagging.
2. Yo-Yo Dieting
When your weight fluctuates, your skin pays the price. Yo-yo dieting isn’t healthy for your body, and as it repeatedly stretches the skin, it won’t snap back as quickly, so you’re left with sagging. This is especially true for the skin on your face, neck, and body. Instead of crash dieting, eat a balanced, anti-oxidant-rich diet and approach weight loss more long term to allow skin time to adjust.
3. Skipping Sunscreen
Sun exposure is one of the biggest culprits of aging and sagging skin. Damaging UV rays break down the skin’s collagen and elastin, the fibers that keep your complexion firm. If you skip sunscreen or don’t reapply it throughout the day, you’re exposing your skin to damage. This speeds up the aging process and sagging and even puts yourself at risk of skin care. Make sunscreen a part of your beauty daily routine—regardless of the weather.
4. Lack of Water
Your skin cells and body need water to function properly and flush out toxins. When you don’t drink enough water—women need 2.7 liters per day—your skin becomes dehydrated, leading to a loss of elasticity. Dehydrated skin is more prone to sagging and fine lines, so keep up the H20 and always apply moisturizer infused with hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid, ceramides, and niacinamide.
5. Over-Exfoliating
Exfoliation removes dead skin cells, promotes cell turnover, and adds radiance. It also allows your skincare products to penetrate more deeply. If you overdo it, however, or use harsh physical scrubs, it can strip the skin of its natural oils and weaken its barrier. This leads to irritation, inflammation, sagging, and the formation of fine lines and wrinkles. It’s best to exfoliate 2-3 times a week, and always choose gentle enzyme or liquid exfoliants to avoid causing micro-tears in your skin.
6. Stop Smoking
Smoking is one of the worst offenders when it comes to accelerating skin aging. The chemicals in cigarettes break down and damage the skin’s collagen and elastin, leading to premature sagging and wrinkles. Add in the repeated puckering of your lips and squinting of your eyes, which causes lines and wrinkles around these areas. Quit smoking to improve your health and the condition and appearance of your skin.
7. Poor Posture
Believe it or not, your posture affects the skin’s elasticity. Poor posture, such as slouching or constantly craning your neck to look at your phone, creates tension and folds in the skin, particularly around the neck and jawline. Over time, these repetitive motions lead to a loss of firmness and sagging. To maintain good posture, try exercises that strengthen your neck and shoulders.
8. Using Harsh Cleansers
It’s important to cleanse morning and night to remove dirt, debris, and product buildup on the skin. If your cleanser leaves your skin feeling tight and dry afterward, it could contain chemical nasties that are doing more harm than good. Harsh cleansers strip the skin of its natural oils, weakening its barrier and leading to dry, dehydrated skin and sagging. Always choose clean, chemical-free, hydrating cleansers to purify your skin without compromising its moisture balance.
9. Not Getting Enough Sleep
Yes, you do need your beauty sleep. Your body and skin repair and regenerate at night, so it’s important to get 7-9 hours of uninterrupted sleep per night to aid this process. A lack of, or poor quality sleep, increases cortisol levels (stress hormones) in the body, which disrupts collagen production, causing wrinkles and sagging.
10. Excessive Alcohol
Alcohol is a diuretic, so it dehydrates the body, triggering a loss of elasticity. Over time, excessive alcohol consumption can lead to a breakdown in collagen, leaving your complexion looking dull, tired, and saggy. There’s really no healthy amount of alcohol you can drink, but if you do, be sure to balance it out with plenty of water to keep your skin firm and hydrated.
11. Rubbing Your Eyes
The skin around your eye area is finer and more delicate, making it prone to sagging. When you constantly rub your eyes as a result of allergies, tiredness, stress, or habit—you’re stretching this sensitive area, which can cause a loss of elasticity. Be more mindful of touching your eye area, and instead of rubbing them, use soothing eye drops or take a break from the screen. It’s also important to add a firming eye cream to your daily skincare routine.
12. Not Moisturizing Properly
Moisturizer is one of the most important steps in your beauty routine, and it pays to invest in a clean, science-based formulation that’s filled with skin-boosting ingredients. Ingredients like hyaluronic acid, peptides, and antioxidants deeply nourish and hydrate the skin and can fight signs of aging and skin sagging. And don’t forget to moisturize your neck and décolletage—they are an extension of your face.
13. Sugar Overload
Sugar is a major enemy of the skin. A diet high in sugar can lead to glycation, a process where sugar molecules bind to the skin’s collagen and elastin fibers, causing them to break down. This causes a loss of elasticity and firmness, leading to the dreaded sag. For the sake of your health and skin health, cut back on sugary treats; these also increase inflammation in the body. Eat a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, antioxidants, lean proteins, and plenty of omega-3-infused fatty fish like salmon and mackerel.
14. Neglecting Your Neck
Most of us focus our daily skincare routine on our faces and forget all about our neck and jawline. The skin on our neck and around our jaw is finer and more delicate, so it’s more prone to sagging as we age. Neglecting them can create a harsh contrast between your face and neck. To prevent a craggy, saggy neck, extend your moisturizer and sunscreen to this area. Or invest in an anti-aging moisturizer specifically formulated for the neck.
15. Chronic Stress
When you’re constantly under stress, it wreaks havoc on your body and triggers an increase in the production of cortisol, the stress hormone. Given that your skin is the largest organ of the body, stress is a major contributor to premature aging. High levels of cortisol break down collagen and elastin, leading to sagging skin and increased fine lines and wrinkles. Stressing out can also contribute to bad habits like frowning or grinding your teeth, which exacerbates sagging. Incorporate stress-relief practices like meditation, yoga, journaling, or taking time out to relax into your daily routine.