Premature skin aging is the early onset of skin aging signs such as fine lines, wrinkles, sagginess, excessive dryness, roughness, a dull complexion and sunspots.

Women who are about to hit 30 or in their early 30s are already commonly bugged by premature aging signs.

Needless to say, premature skin aging is something that can make you look older than your actual age — it can be very disheartening for people to think you’re already 45 when you’re just 35!

In order to keep at bay the various premature skin aging signs, it’s important to know the things that can cause them to strike in the first place — a lot of them can surprise you.

Contrary to popular belief, too much sun exposure is not the only cause of premature aging of the skin.

The following can also cause such very common cosmetic problem:

Excessive Face Washing

Do you wash your face 3 to 5 times a day or even more just to make sure that it’s free of dirt and grime that can keep your skin from looking awesome?

It may actually cause your skin to age earlier than normal, especially if you use a harsh facial wash!

Too much face washing can cause excessive dryness, which is something that can cause roughness, fine lines and wrinkles to appear even while you’re still under 40.

Dehydration

Speaking of excessive dryness, not drinking about 2 liters of water a day (more if you tend to sweat a lot) can leave your skin looking aged.

However, it’s not just failure to drink enough water throughout the day that can cause skin dehydration, but also not applying a moisturizer that is intended for your particular skin type.

Needless to say, hydrating from within and externally is of utmost importance for a beauty-conscious person.

Cigarette Smoking

We all know that smoking can cause lung cancer and heart disease. But did you know that it’s also something that can cause your skin to age prematurely?

According to skin experts, toxins that you inhale each time you smoke can damage the blood vessels.

When the blood vessels supplying the skin with nutrients and oxygen are affected, it’s not unlikely for your skin to end up damaged, exhibiting various premature aging signs like sagging and wrinkling.

Too Much Alcohol Intake

Usually, cigarette smoking is paired with excessive alcohol consumption, another cause of premature skin aging.

Alcohol contains toxins that not only introduce free radicals that damage skin cells and other cells in your body, but also neutralize antioxidants within!

With increased free radicals and reduced antioxidants, your skin is surely going to age at a much faster rate.

Not Removing Makeup

At night, do you go straight to dreamland without first going to the sink to remove your makeup? Then don’t be surprised if you are already seeing skin aging signs and you’re just in your late 20s or early 30s.

Failure to remove makeup before hitting the hay causes your pores to be clogged and your skin to be dry.

In addition, not washing your face at bedtime causes all of the toxins and pollutants you were exposed to throughout the day to remain on your skin and do some damage.

High Levels of Stress

Do you have a really hectic day-to-day schedule? If you do not engage in stress-busting activities, it’s very much likely for you to look so much older than your peers.

That’s because lots of complications of stress can contribute to premature skin aging, and they include inflammation, increased oxidative damage, poor eating habits and insomnia.

And by the way, stress can also hormonal imbalance, which is something that can affect the skin negatively.