15 Surprising Ways You're Giving Yourself Wrinkles

Wrinkles may be a sign of experience, wisdom and a life well spent, but there's a constant battle against these unruly lines showing up on your own aging skin. Whether it's a 20 year-old scared of developing a forehead wrinkle or a 60 year-old distraught over her laugh-lines, there are tons of products on the market made to prevent or keep these crinkles at bay. Unfortunately, people don't even realize all the ways they're giving themselves wrinkles - of course sun tanning and smoking are two of the biggest culprits but there are actually some weird, unexpected ways that everyone is damaging and rumpling their skin far too early.

Nighttime creams and face serums can only go so far in the fight. Instead, it's time to expose some everyday habits, that everyone participates in, that are causing everything from crows feet to worry lines. Could sleeping on one's side be counteracting the coveted “beauty sleep” everyone seems to need? Could slurping through a straw be saving one's teeth but hurting the skin around your lips? Find out what weird, everyday habits are giving everyone wrinkles below!

15 Washing Your Face

Everyone is taught to wash their face. And it's especially important to wash before bed and take off all the makeup. But if one washes their face too much and too rigorously, they'll be doing more damage than good. In fact, constant washing can remove the skin of its natural oils which will dry out and enhance any and all fine lines. It's important not to be too rough with one's skin, even when the last bit of eye makeup won't budge.

14 Chewing Gum

Popping in a stick of gum after every tuna melt or to freshen up before an interview, may not be helping matters in the long run. Wrinkles around your lips and cheeks can form with all of the constant chewing and muscle use which breaks down the skin's collagen. In all honesty, this habit isn't great on the teeth either. No one wants extra wrinkles or extra cavities.

13 Not Enough Water

Keeping the skin hydrated is a must for maintaining a beautiful, soft glow. And neglecting to drink enough water daily, recommended amounts being eight 8-ounces glasses, can be damaging to one's overall health let alone their skin. According to PopSugar, drinking enough water will promote skin circulation so skin repair doesn't decrease. And skin repair is one of the ways that keep collagen and elasticity healthy.

12 Sitting Too Much

It's already known that inactivity is bad for our bodies. But taking a seat from 9 to 5 may be doing something to the skin as well. In fact, TLC divulged that it was found that exercise improves the skin's composition and could give it a structure of up to 20 years younger. And once more exercise is implemented into one's life, their skin will start to improve. The damage doesn't have to be permanent.

11 Taking A Hot Shower

Who doesn't love a long, hot shower after a long, exhausting day at work? Well, it may be time to skip the heat and go for a more lukewarm temperature. According to Health.com, “spending too much time in a hot shower can literally melt the layer of lipids that bonds your skin cells together and keeps moisture in. Your body replenishes the lipids over the next few hours, but during that time moisture escapes at an alarming rate.” This is just another form of skin damage so many participate in on a daily basis without the realization of its repercussions.

10 Resting Your Face In Your Hands

Who is tired? Who is frustrated? Who is bored? Or is it just a natural habit of comfort? Resting the face in one's hands can create wrinkles in the spots that are being essentially mushed throughout the process. This too will break down the skin's collagen and elastic tissue and by continuing to do this will only make the chances of early wrinkles that much higher.

9 Driving To and From Work

Driving to and from work, whether the windows are up or down, could be causing harm to the left side of one's body. Those windows aren't protecting anyone from UV rays. This is where sunscreen comes in handy - for daily usage. The left side of one's face and arm are receiving far more damage, every day, than the rest of the body. This means more wrinkles and an increased risk of skin cancer.

8 Sleeping On Your Side

Sleeping on one's back may start to seem more comfortable after finding out this bit of information. Sleeping on one's side not only causes wrinkles between the breasts but on the face where it hits the pillow. And women are much more likely to sleep in this position! So, ladies, stop smooshing the cheeks and the boobs and figure out a new way to sleep comfortably without causing damage!

7 Drinking Through A Straw

One may not be thinking about wrinkles when they're sipping their ice cold sweet tea during lunch but this easy act is causing rumples around the mouth! It seems obvious once said aloud, but it's surprising how many don't know how damaging this can be to the skin. Repeatedly pursing one's lips will cause the collagen to break down and cause small lines to appear around the mouth so try skipping this habit!

6 Putting On Eyeliner

Stop tugging on the eyes during the application of that perfect cat eye. No matter how much easier this act makes putting on eyeliner, stop doing it. Learn how to apply eye makeup without the constant tugging and plugging on the lids and outside of the eyes because overdoing this everyday habit will cause crows feet and other wrinkles far too early in life. This act can also cause a bit of puffiness and broken blood vessels.

5 Using Your Cell Phone

Not only does keeping the phone up to one's ear cause breakouts, but using this piece of “essential” technology is also making wrinkles appear and become much more pronounced. Constant squinting at texts and Facebook posts are creating premature wrinkles around the eyes. And the continual downward focus on the phone will cause saggy jowls! And who wants those?

4 Too Much Sugar

Everyone knows that eating too much sugar can pack on the pounds, heighten the chance for diabetes and cause trouble getting to sleep but who knew that it damages the skin as well? An excess of sugar in the diet can cause glycation. According to Yahoo, “this affects the normal function of your cells as the excess sugar molecules join together with protein molecules to create products that are foreign to your body, also known as advanced glycation end products (AGEs). Theses AGEs affect collagen and elastin, causing them to break down. As a result, wrinkles and lines form on your face.”

3 Wearing Contact Lenses

Just like tugging on the eyes to apply eyeliner or other kinds of makeup, pulling on the lids and skin around the eyes to put in or take out contacts will do the same harm. This skin is extremely delicate and even though it seems impossible to put contacts in without a tug or a pull, being as gentle as possible while doing it is key to not damaging this part of the face.

2 Turning Up The Heat

This actually goes for upping the air conditioning as well. Even when those steamy summers roll around or the snow starts to fall, keep the cranking at bay. Why? Using too much heat will end up drying out the skin causing wrinkles around the eyes and mouth far before their time. Be sure to keep hydrated and indulge in buying a humidifier to keep moisture throughout the air and in the skin!

1 Spending Too Much Time On The Computer

Sitting on a laptop every evening perusing online stores, Facebook or Pinterest - or working on a computer everyday can cause a series of fine lines and wrinkles, right around the eyes. Even when reading glasses are being used, the lighting and constant focus is creating too much strain on this area of the eye. It's recommended to keep 1 ½ - 2 feet away and keeping good posture - to prevent horizontal neck lines.