3 Ways You Are Aging Your Skin Indoors

While sun exposure may be culpable for 90% of the visible signs of premature skin aging, more factors than a few too many beach days with too little sunscreen can be to blame as well. Sure, it’s important not to forget your SPF when you go outside no matter the weather, but did you know that there are other factors indoors that could be aging your skin? Discover the top causes of aging and wrinkles indoors, alongside our top anti-aging tips for wrinkle reduction.

Tops Causes of Premature Skin Aging in Your Home or Office

Like sunlight and air pollution, there are factors within your home that can contribute to cell death, which leads to the breakdown of collagen and the appearance of aged skin. While it may be difficult to avoid each factor entirely, there are ways to minimize their impact.

Consider Your Lighting Choices

While too little light can cause eye strain and squinting that could certainly lead to eye wrinkles, too much of some light can also be detrimental to your skin health. In one study out of Stony Brook University, fluorescent bulbs in particular were proven to have a higher incidence rate of defects that lead to UV radiation emission levels that could burn skin and evoke cell death, leading to premature skin aging and wrinkles. Fluorescent bulbs utilize phosphor to create light, but when the protective coating around a bulb’s phosphor is cracked, UV radiation escapes—an event that occurred in almost all bulbs tested in the Stony Brook University experiment. While fluorescent tubes tend to leak lower levels of UV radiation, the signature twisted fluorescent bulbs are the ones to watch, as the coating is delicate and breaks easily when manipulated into a twist. According to the study, affected skin cells showed a decline in the ability to produce and sustain healthy collagen, an effect that didn’t appear when exposed to the same intensity of light from incandescent bulbs. 

According to researchers, the best anti-aging treatment to ward off the aging effects of fluorescent bulbs is to increase your distance from the light source to at least two feet and swap out fluorescent bulbs in desk lamps with options that offer additional phosphor coating or an alternative, such as incandescent or LED bulbs. It should be noted, however, that while LEDs do contain phosphors, they emit a blue light that poses no risk to skin, but could trick the body into believing it’s daytime. Too much time around blue light at night could throw off the body’s natural sleep cycle, so it’s best to limit exposure to LED bulbs after dusk to ensure you still get the most from your beauty sleep.

Check Your Air Quality

Just as car and air pollution poses risks to skin health via free radical damage, poor indoor air quality can also contribute to premature aging, forehead wrinkles, and the like. Some of the most common causes of indoor air pollution include:

• Cigarette smoke
• Dust and dust mites
• Volatile organic compounds or chemicals (VOCs), such as cleaners and scents, particularly sprays and vapors
• Oxides and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), chemicals that commonly result from burning fuels like gas and wood

When they come into contact with skin, these common pollutants may lead to dryness, premature aging (pigmentation, wrinkles, and spots), dermatitis, rashes, hives, acne, eczema, or psoriasis. Unfortunately, seasonal outdoor weather and air pollution can also cause similar symptoms, potentially masking the year-round effects of indoor air pollutants. This can make it difficult to pinpoint poor indoor air quality as the cause of your anti-aging skin care concerns.

The best solution is to take appropriate measures to cover off the basics. In any case, if indoor air pollution doesn’t appear to be the main cause of those new fine lines or forehead wrinkles, you’ll at least be breathing a little better. To improve indoor air quality, check that filters in your heating and air conditioning systems are regularly replaced or consider adding an air filtration system to your HVAC. There are also portable air purifiers that can be used for single rooms. Further, cut out lifestyle habits that affect skin health, air quality, and more—smoking is the perfect example—and consider adding antioxidant-rich skin care to your beauty regimen to deactivate and limit the effects of free radicals.

Ditch Dry Indoor Air

While we often utilize air conditioning and heating year-round for comfort, maintaining an adequate temperature indoors could also be harming your skin. As central heat and air conditioning work to maintain a level temperature, they tend to strip indoor air of humidity, leading to dry air that in turn zaps skin of its moisture. Mucous membranes also tend to become dried out, leading to dry noses and throats, but also causing lips to wrinkle, crack, and peel. Over time, a lack of moisture in the air around you can lead to premature aging and wrinkles. Add to the mix the tendency to seek out warm baths and showers, and we’re certainly making our anti-aging creams and serums work doubly hard. Unfortunately, for the most part, there’s no real way to cut out temperature control aside from adjusting the thermostat a couple degrees.

The best way to prevent premature skin aging from dry air and hot showers is to exfoliate, moisturize, and keep a humidifier on hand. When air contains less water, your skin naturally tries to protect its moisture levels by reducing skin cell turnover. This creates a thicker layer of dead skin cells that naturally help to protect the skin, but can also result in a dry and flaky appearance while preventing your anti-aging serums and moisturizers from performing properly. Instead of simply adding creams on top of dry skin, gently exfoliate skin two to three times per week and always apply moisturizers and serums to slightly damp skin or immediately after applying skin toner to lock in new moisture and prevent premature aging. When choosing anti-aging moisturizers, favor those containing hyaluronic acid and ceramides to help retain moisture and niacinamide, shea butter, or argan oil to help repair skin’s protective barrier.  Also consider investing in a humidifier for your bedroom to give skin a break while you sleep, a time at which skin naturally rejuvenates and restores itself.

Get Back to Zero: The Best Anti-Aging Wrinkle Reduction Treatment

Knowing the ways you are aging your skin indoors and the anti-aging steps you can take to prevent these factors from aging your appearance will certainly help to prevent further wrinkles, but what about those fine lines and wrinkles that have already formed? What’s the best wrinkle treatment to reverse the damage already done? Fillers may offer temporary effects that plump but eventually fade, while topical anti-aging treatments may gradually spur healthy skin cell renewal and collagen production. In comparison, an advanced radio frequency-based wrinkle reduction treatment plan in addition to a quality anti-aging skin care regimen may offer the most effective and visible outcome.

Wrinkles and fine lines are one of the most common first signs of aging skin that usually results from a lack of moisture, a decline in collagen production, and a breakdown in healthy collagen and elastin structures that are responsible for younger, smoother, firmer skin. Utilizing advanced radio frequency technology, wrinkle reduction devices deliver energy deep below the skin’s surface, uniformly heating the treatment area, deep below the dermis, to stimulate natural collagen production. Upon following a customized treatment plan, skin appears smoother, firmer, and healthier as the wrinkle reduction treatments minimize the visible aging effects of fluorescent bulbs, indoor air pollution, and dry air. 

Interested in learning more about the benefits of RF wrinkle reduction treatments? Talk to a certified treatment provider near you using the search field below.