From over exfoliating to using an unclean makeup kit, here are common bad skin habits that must be avoided

How often one skips washing our face at night due to a tired day? Or even buy older makeup without casting a glance at its expiry date? Radiant youthful skin is the first sign of good health, but here are culprits that can play often the worst skin habits that women have.

Smoking: This one of the biggest skin vices. Smoking not only reduces blood flow in the skin, but it also makes you prone to direct toxin exposure on the skin and in the blood. In addition to this, this habit creates wrinkles as well as dull skin. Research points out how every decade of smoking can add in an extra 2.5 years of age.

Taking hot showers: Of course, everyone loves those long hot baths, but while it can feel relaxing, it can also damage the facial skin greatly. The skin on the face is very delicate and due to the water's heat, the capillaries can get weakened, leading to a redness and dry skin. The next time you're tempted to languish in a hot tub, take care of your face.

Drinking: This is extremely dangerous. Studies have shown that a woman's risk of breast cancer rises by approximately six per cent for each extra alcoholic drink she has, on average, every day and overall, 5,000 cancer deaths a year are attributed to alcohol. And another reason not to reach for that alcohol, is its adverse effect on the skin. Apart from the dull look that too much drinking brings on, doing so might also dehydrate the skin and remove its natural oils, leaving it extremely dry. Alcohol consumption also makes small facial blood vessels called capillaries dilate; they can even burst, creating permanent damage.

Using dirty makeup brushes etc: If you won't take the extra trouble to clean out your makeup kit with its brushes etc, you can land up with acne that leads to bacterial infection. It's important thus to wash brushes with a gentle shampoo once a week and let it dry overnight.

Not getting enough sleep: According to dermatologists, sleep deprivation can lead to stress, which in turn leads to skin conditions such as acne, and psoriasis even. Eight hours sleep is the staple as it is during the night that the body repairs the cell damages caused during the day and the skin regenerates itself.

Breaking zits: It can tempting to do so, but picking pimples can only push them deeper into the skin. The bacteria goes deeper into the pores, causing infection and a worse case of acne or even scarring. Dirt and oil are a cause of pimples so keep skin clean by washing the face with a mild face wash twice a day.

Constant phone chatter: Believe it or not, but your phone can harm your skin. A study shows how resting your cheek against a phone can cause acne breakouts, regardless of whether or the phone is clean and bacteria-free or not. This is because the heat and friction generated lead to pimple breakouts.