9 Habits That Age Your Skin Faster
Our skin is a reflection of within. As an essthetician, many women reach out to me yearning for the fountain of youth or a way to turn back time. Let me preface by saying, our time here on earth is a gift. I’m not trying to erase that. What I do want to address are the habits and stressors that make skin look older than it needs to so that you can feel like your reflection shows who you are inside.
Below are nine sneaky habits that push the skin towards collagen breakdown, lines, and free radical damage—and the simple, sustainable swaps that bring your glow back.
Image via — Pinterest
Skin “age” is less about a chronological age and more about the daily inputs that contribute to our biological age inside and out. The good news? Small consistent changes add up. When we protect our skin and support the body’s natural rejuvenation abilities, the skin can thrive.
Let’s dive right in!
1) Sleeping in makeup
Why it ages you: Overnight is repair time. Makeup + daily grime = a film of oxidized oils and bacteria that blocks turnover and steals hydration, inviting clogged pores and a rougher texture by morning. Your body (and skin) repair and renew while you sleep — don’t block this process!
Do this instead: Cleanse your skin every night, and be sure to thoroughly remove makeup. Gentle Cleanse Hydration Cleanser can double as a makeup remover and cleanser. Try it as the first step of a double cleanse routine at night.
Ingredient Highlights:
Aloe vera to calm and hydrate
Ceramides to strengthen the barrier
Lactic acid for soft, no-flake renewal
Oat protein, panthenol, allantoin to soothe and prevent dryness
A touch of probiotics to support the microbiome
2) Using makeup wipes as your cleanser
Why it ages you: Wipes move residue around; pores stay congested → dullness, bumps, and more build up than your barrier likes.
Do this instead: Wipes can have a place (airport, beach days), but a face wipe in your every night time routine should be considered as step 0. Always follow with a proper cleanse to effectively cleanse your skin. I love Purify Enzyme Cleanser—papaya, pineapple, and kiwi enzymes give a thorough but gentle clean that sets your skin up for success.
Pro Tip: Count to 60 slow seconds every time you cleanse your skin to let its ingredients work.
3) Over-exfoliating
Why it ages you: The moisture barrier is your skin’s raincoat. Harsh scrubbing/acid-toning daily pokes holes in that coat, causing water loss, redness, and reactivity. If the top layer is inflamed, deeper layers struggle and get depleted too.
Do this instead: Think strategic, not constant. Enzymes or gentle peel pads 1–2×/week max, paired with a daily barrier routine (mist → serum → moisturizer). Let your glow come from hydration, not abrasion.
Favorite Enzyme Exfoliation:
- Pure Enzymes
- Hibiscus Exfoliating Mud
Favorite Peel Pads:
- Prep & Reset Exfoliating Pads
4) Skipping Vitamin A (Retinaldehyde)
Why you’re missing out: Without vitamin A in the routine, cell renewal slows, pores stay more congested, and fine lines/texture hang around longer.
Do this instead: Don’t miss out on retinaldehyde—vitamin A in a skin-friendly form that encourages collagen and speeds visible turnover without as much irritation as classic retinol.
Start with Calm Gentle Retinal Serum (great beginner vitamin A), that also contains barrier soothing ingredients like sea buckthorn and wild cherry bark.
Can’t use vitamin A right now? (Pregnancy/breastfeeding/sensitivity/preference) Try Bakuchiol Complete as a gentle stand-in. It’s vitamin-A-free but still helps with texture, clarity, and firmness. Use AM or PM.
5) Forgetting SPF (hands, neck, chest too)
Why it ages you: UVA is invisible at first—no burn, but it this ultra-violate-aging radiation accelerates pigment and collagen breakdown.
Do this instead: Make Guardian Angel Sunscreen Milk your last AM step. It’s lightweight and adds peptides + antioxidants for extra support, reapply outdoors, and don’t forget the backs of hands, neck, and chest with Good Karma Energizing Body Oil Sunscreen Mist
Pro tip: Be sun smart in other ways too! Such as: protective clothing, hats, seeking shade, and sun awareness during peek hours.
6) Caffeine overload
Why it ages you: One reason caffeine can age the body is long-term, chronic dehydration. Coffee, matcha tea, caffeinated teas, and chocolate are diuretics that force critically needed hydration out of the living cells in your body, essentially starving the cells of what they need. Caffeine is a toxin, a low-grade poison, that prompts your body to want to rid it. Unfortunately, as your body is trying to rid you of this toxin, it throws the toxin out along with important nutrients, trace minerals, phytochemical compounds, critically needed enzymes, and antioxidants. In your body’s attempt to push caffeine out, it has no choice but to push out other important nutrients too. This chronic dehydration and flushing of important nutrients can lead to someone aging well before their time. — Anthony William
Do this instead: Choose hydrating drinks instead such as pressed juices, lemon water, or coconut water. Craving warm comfort? Carob is known as a chocolate alternative, and healing mushrooms such as reishi and chaga can make a wonderful late. Roasted dandelion root tea (not to be confused with the unroasted leaf) also has a similar coffee-like aroma and aftertaste. Learn more about caffeine and skin [click here].
7) Alcohol on repeat
Why it ages you: The fountain of youth resides within you, and that fountain is your liver. Not so much a fountain, but a sponge. Alcohol is toxic in any amount so your liver’s job is to suck it all up. The liver being poisoned by alcohol hinders it’s ability to acknowledge, decipher, extract, and retain the vitamins, minerals, and other helpful materials that are also coming in through the blood. If your liver is unable to extract nutrients, the skin is also going to lose nourishment and antioxidants vital for its healthy appearance.
Do this instead: Choose mocktails, wild blueberry juice, pomegranate juice and non-alcoholic options instead. Your skin (and liver) will thank you. Learn more about alcohol and your skin [here].
8) Too little sleep
Why it ages you: You can’t biohack out of real repair time. Low sleep = puffiness, stagnation, impaired adrenal function, and low immunity that will show up on your skin.
Do this instead: Aim 7–9 hours most nights. A 2-minute lymph flow ritual before bed—open clavicles, gentle neck sweeps, a few jawline passes—signals safety to your nervous system and helps you wake up less puffy. No Flow, No Glow.
How do de-stress tired skin? — insert Beauty Sleep Mask
Beauty Sleep Mask is a two-in-one product can be used as a leave-on mask to soothe and hydrate skin overnight or as a daily moisturizer. It's ideal for acne-prone skin with its oil-free formula that doesn't clog pores., while also helping to improve texture and signs of aging. Perfect for any time of day or night, it provides multiple skincare benefits in one application - and keeps your skin looking like you had the best beauty sleep every day!
9) Chronic stress with no downshift
Why it ages you: When adrenaline + cortisol run the show, collagen synthesis suffers, the immune system runs on low, and inflammation runs higher.
Do this instead: Adrenals first. Eat enough calories (include clean critical carbs like potatoes, sweet potato, squashes, figs, mango, bananas. Snack every 1.5-2 hours to avoid crashes. Get golden morning light, walk daily, and add small self-regulation moments to help calm the body. Self care is skincare. We cannot always control what life throws are way, but we can make sure our body is strong, resilient, or that we support it in times of need so we can recover.
Anti-Aging Skincare Routine:
Cleanse: Cleanse Gentle Cleanser Milky/cream cleanser at night; Purify Enzyme Cleanser when you need a deeper (gentle) clean
Mist: Hydrating Infuse Mist to quench your skin’s thirst and help other products absorb better
Treat: Replenish Antioxidant Serum Serum (AM), Calm Gentle Retinal Serum (PM)
Bonus Serum: StemFactor Serum (AM/PM)
Moisturize: Vitamin C Regenerative Balm (AM/PM) to restore and nourish.
Protect: Guardian Angel SPF every morning (neck, chest, hands too)
The Takeaway: Progress over perfection
To wrap up our discussion on anti-aging, here are a few things to think about. First and foremost, prevention is key. It's not just what products you use, but how you live your life. The goal isn’t to erase time; it’s to help your skin reflect how you actually feel inside. Most of the “older than I feel” look comes from everyday habits: not cleansing at night, over-exfoliating, skipping SPF, running on caffeine and stress, sleeping too little. When you’re proactive with skincarel, protect daily, feed your adrenals, and keep gentle flow in the tissues, skin looks calmer, clearer, and more vibrant—at any age.
You don’t need to overhaul everything. Pick one or two changes and start there: wash your face every night, wear SPF on your face/neck/chest/hands, introduce a vitamin A serum (or bakuchiol if vitamin A isn’t for you), swap a coffee for hydration, go to bed 30 minutes earlier. The little shifts add up over time.
If you want help choosing the right skincare for your needs, I’m here. Book a Personalized Skincare Routine for a suggestions and guidance from an esthetician, or shop the Anti-Aging Routine edit above to get started.
The information provided on this site is for general informational purposes only, to include blog postings and any linked material. The information is not intended to be a substitute for professional health or medical advice or treatment, nor should it be relied upon for the diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of any health consideration. Consult with a licensed health care practitioner before altering or discontinuing any medications, treatment or care, or starting any diet, skincare, exercise or supplementation program. The content of this blog and any linked material does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Mindful Beauty facesbykatey and is not guaranteed to be correct, complete, or up to date.
