Nobody wants to age any faster than they have to. Surprisingly, though, things you do, perhaps even daily, could be adding years to your life, even making you look older. Here’s how to put the kibosh on seven of these seemingly harmless behaviors.
Sipping From A Straw
How it ages you: Whenever you sip through a straw, you’re pulling on the muscle, the orbicularis oris, that circles your mouth. “As you repeat this, the skin on top of that muscle changes so you get burrows, just like the creases you get in your forehead,” says Ronda S. Farah, M.D., assistant professor of dermatology at the University of Minnesota.
The anti-aging fix: If you’re an occasional straw sipper or you’re using a straw because of dental issues, keep sipping. Otherwise, skip them. You’ll also be doing the environment a favor because Americans use 500 million straws every day, many of which wind up polluting waterways.