8 common everyday habits that can make you look older

 Aging is inevitable, but looking older than you are is not. Most people blame their genetics or time for visible aging, but your daily habits play a bigger role than either of those two things.

The way you sleep, eat, hydrate, and even hold your phone accumulates over the years and can show on your face and body. Luckily, we have compiled 8 commons everyday habits that can make you look older. None of these habits are dramatic, but that's what makes them worth paying attention to.

1. Skimping on Sleep

 

During deep sleep, the body releases growth hormones, which are responsible for cell repair and collagen production. If you cut this process short consistently, your skin loses its ability to recover. This means that fine lines can deepen faster, puffiness can stop fully resolving, and your complexion can turn dull and uneven.

Research in sleep medicine has shown that people who get fewer than six hours of sleep per night are rated as looking noticeably older than well-rested individuals, even by strangers. With screen time at record levels in 2026 and sleep schedules more disrupted than ever, this is one of the most common aging accelerators people underestimate.

You should aim for 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. If you struggle to fall asleep, you can try a wind-down routine and cut screens for about 45 minutes before bed. It makes a huge difference.

2. Skipping Sunscreen on Cloudy Days

 

Up to 80 percent of UV radiation passes through cloud cover. That means that even on cloudy days, you should still protect yourself from the sun. Most people use SPF only when its sunny outside, and that gap in protection accumulates over the years.

Photoaging accounts for the majority of visible skin changes like hyperpigmentation, broken capillaries, loss of firmness, and deep wrinkles. Even routine daily exposure from driving or sitting near a window degrades collagen on a slow, steady basis.

Dermatologists say that daily broad-spectrum SPF is the most evidence-backed anti-aging step available. Lightweight, tinted formulations in 2026 are invisible under makeup and double as skincare, removing any real barrier to daily use.

3. Chronic Dehydration

 

Persistent, low-level dehydration affects skin texture, elasticity, and the visibility of fine lines. Skin cells that lack moisture become less plump, lines appear more pronounced, and your complexion looks flat.

Topical moisturizers are only good for the outer layer of your skin. Hydration has to come from within. Coffee, alcohol, and many energy drinks actively pull water from your body, which means that your actual intake is often lower than you assume. Keeping a water bottle on hand is a small adjustment that can help you prevent early aging. Visibility drives behavior more reliably than good intentions.

4. Repetitive Facial Expressions and Tech Neck

 

Squinting at screens deepens crow's feet. If you frown continuously, it will set lines between your eyebrows. Looking downward at a phone or laptop for hours each day creates horizontal creases across your neck and accelerates jowl formation by pulling your face forward and down.

Tech neck has become one of the most discussed concerns in dermatology in 2026, and is tied directly to the posture most people hold during remote work and while using their phones. Raising your screen to eye level costs nothing and addresses the problem at its source. Holding a phone at face level rather than dropping your chin is a small change that makes a big difference over thousands of daily interactions.

5. A High-Sugar Diet

 

Sugar accelerates your aging through glycation. Excess glucose in the bloodstream binds to collagen and elastin, making them stiff and less functional. The collagen that is responsible for your skin's firmness degrades faster, and your skin begins to sag and wrinkle earlier than it otherwise would.

Refined carbohydrates, including white bread, pasta, and many packaged foods that are often marketed as healthy, convert rapidly to glucose and trigger the same response. Liquid sugar in sodas, juices, and sweetened coffees is typically the easiest place to make meaningful cuts. Reducing it does not require a full dietary change, just a consistent awareness of where the largest spikes are coming from.

6. Sleeping on a Cotton Pillowcase

 

A standard cotton pillowcase creates friction against the skin across seven to nine hours each night. Over months and years, that friction contributes to sleep lines that gradually become permanent creases. Cotton also absorbs moisture aggressively, pulling hydration from your skin and from overnight products that you might have applied before bed.

Silk and satin pillowcases are widely available at affordable prices in 2026. The reduced friction and retained moisture produce real differences for both your skin and hair. Sleeping on your back also eliminates face-pillow contact entirely, but for those who cannot sleep on their back, the pillowcase fabric is the most practical alternative.

7. Yo-Yo Dieting and Rapid Weight Changes

 

Each cycle of losing and regaining weight stretches and contracts your skin. Over time, the elastin fibers that allow your skin to retract begin to break down. After enough cycles, your skin can no longer fully snap back, and weight loss that reaches a healthy number on the scale may still leave behind sagging that adds years to a person's appearance.

Fat loss in the face carries its own consequences. The fat pads that give a young face its fullness deplete naturally with age, and crash dieting speeds that process up considerably, hollowing the cheeks and temples almost immediately. Slow changes of one to two pounds per week give your skin time to adjust. Adequate protein intake during any weight loss phase supports muscle preservation and collagen production.

8. Neglecting the Neck and Hands

Most skincare routines stop at the jawline. But your neck and hands reveal age faster than almost any other area of your body. The skin on your neck is thinner than your facial skin, has fewer oil glands, and loses elasticity earlier in your life if you don't use moisturizer and sun protection. Your hands are always exposed to the sun, and repeated washing and environmental stress can make your hands look older than the rest of your body.

A well-maintained face paired with a crepey neck or heavily spotted hands creates a visible inconsistency that registers quickly. In assessments of perceived age, both areas are among the first features people notice. Extending an existing routine solves it. SPF and moisturizer applied to the face can be swept down the neck and chest in the same motion. A hand cream placed next to every sink makes the habit automatic.

15 everyday foods that are quietly damaging your liver

 Your liver is one of the hardest working organs in your body. It helps with digestion, stores nutrients, filters toxins, and supports your immune system. And what you eat can affect how well it works. 

Some foods can overload your liver and raise the risk of liver disease — while others can help heal it. We’ll review which foods may be harmful to your liver, and what the science says about the most important dietary dos and don’ts. 

What foods are bad for your liver?

Some foods can stress your liver — especially if they lead to fat buildup in the liver. This can raise your risk for metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD). This used to be known as fatty liver disease or nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

But diet changes can help stop or even reverse fat buildup. Here are some foods to limit for better liver health. 

1. Fast food

While fast food isn’t an absolute no-no, most people in the U.S. eat too much of it. A 2023 study found that people who eat fast food for 20% or more of their meals collect too much fat in their liver. And the damage is worse for people who have diabetes or carry excess weight.

Other restaurant food isn’t off the hook, either. Restaurant food tends to contain more sugar, salt, and fat than your liver can handle.

2. Ultra-processed foods

Ultra-processed foods are foods that have been preserved, changed, or refined well beyond their natural form. To spot ultra-processed foods, check the list of ingredients. If there are a lot of chemical names that are hard to pronounce, it’s heavily processed. 

The liver has to process these additives and preservatives on top of the sugar, salt, and fat that’s in the food. Eating too many ultra-processed foods is linked to fat buildup in the liver. 

Common ultra-processed foods include:

• Packaged cakes, cookies, and sweets

• Chips and other snack foods

• Packaged breakfast bars, rolls, and buns

• Ready-to-eat, microwavable, and instant foods

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3. Sweetened foods

Another way to support liver health is to limit foods with added sugar. When the body has to work hard to process these extra sugars, it puts stress on the liver. It can also lead to weight gain, which is a risk factor for fatty liver disease.

It helps to know how to identify added sugars on a nutrition label. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that fewer than 10% of your daily calories come from added sugars — but many packaged and processed foods contain more than that in just one serving.

The names of added sugars you might see on a list of ingredients include: 

• Corn syrup

• High-fructose corn syrup

• Dextrose, fructose, sucrose, glucose, lactose, or maltose

• Brown sugar or raw sugar

• Fruit nectars

• Honey, maple syrup, or molasses

• Cane juice or malt syrup

4. Sugary drinks

Sweetened foods are bad for the liver. But sweetened drinks come with an extra risk: You won’t feel full as fast. So, it’s easy to drink a lot more sugar than your body needs. 

Studies have shown that the more sugar-sweetened beverages you drink, the higher your risk for MAFLD. Popular drinks that often include a lot of added sugar include:

• Regular soda (not diet or sugar-free)

• Sports drinks

• Sweetened coffee or tea drinks

• Energy drinks

• Fruit drinks

• Sweetened water

5. Artificial sweeteners

If sweetened foods and drinks are too sugary, are diet or sugar-free items the solution? Unfortunately, the answer is probably not.

Artificial sweeteners don’t provide extra calories, but researchers are learning that their ingredients may still be harmful. The studies on artificial sweeteners and the risk for MAFLD have had mixed results, but experts are increasingly concerned that may be harmful to the liver. And some show these sugar substitutes negatively affect healthy gut bacteria in a way that leads to fat buildup in the liver. 

In 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended against the use of artificial sweeteners as a way to lose weight. The WHO also noted that there may be harmful effects when using them over time. Until more is known, it’s best to limit your intake.

Common artificial sweeteners include:

• Aspartame

• Acesulfame potassium (Ace-K)

• Sucralose

• Neotame

• Advantame

• Saccharin

6. Refined grains

Refined grains are processed to change their texture, appearance, or taste. Foods made with refined grains also have a longer shelf life. But fiber and important vitamins and minerals are removed during the refining process. 

When you eat refined grains, versus whole grains, your blood sugar goes up faster. You also might eat more because you don’t feel as full. These factors can increase the risk for fat deposits and inflammation in the liver. 

Common foods made with refined grains include:

• White bread

• Cakes, muffins, and pastries

• Corn grits

• White rice

• Flour tortillas

• Foods made with white or all-purpose flour

7. Red meat and processed meats

Red meat and processed meats are high in saturated fat. Eating a lot of these foods is known to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and risk of fat in the liver. They’re also associated with some forms of cancer, especially colorectal cancer.

Foods in these categories include:

• Beef, lamb, and pork

• Organ meat

• Hot dogs and sausages

• Bacon

• Lunch meats

8. Alcohol

Drinking excess alcohol can also cause liver damage. Alcohol-associated liver disease is a major cause of liver disease worldwide. Drinking alcohol regularly for years can increase the risk of fat deposits in the liver, scarring and inflammation, and liver cancer. 

And drinking too much along with eating the foods mentioned above can speed up the damage. 

You are at a higher risk for liver disease if you consume the following: 

• For men: more than 14 drinks per week, or more than 4 drinks at a time

• For women: more than 7 drinks per week, or more than 3 drinks at a time

• For people over 65 years: more than 7 drinks per week, or 3 drinks at a time

9. Fried foods

Fried foods are high in saturated and trans fat. Frying foods doesn’t just change the textures and taste — it changes the nutritional content of the food. 

Eating fried foods is also linked to an increased risk for fat buildup in the liver. People who eat more fried foods are more likely to be diagnosed with MAFLD. 

If you love the crispy texture of fried foods but want to be mindful of liver health, try making these changes:

• Use an air fryer.

• Bake on high temperatures.

• Fry foods in unsaturated fats like olive oil.

10. Salty foods

Salty foods may not seem like a liver concern, but research also shows a link between high salt intake and liver disease. People who regularly add extra salt to their food are more likely to develop fat buildup in the liver. Salty foods are also linked to conditions such as liver cirrhosis and liver cancer. 

Lowering your salt intake can boost your heart health as well. Try reaching for other salt alternatives — like garlic or lemon zest. And learn to read nutrition labels carefully to lower the amount of sodium you consume from packaged foods. 

Why are certain foods bad for your liver?

What you eat affects your liver health in several ways. First, consuming too many calories can lead to excess weight. And extra weight — especially around the middle — is a risk factor for conditions that put extra stress on your liver. Common examples include metabolic syndrome and Type 2 diabetes.

Also, as discussed above, certain foods can lead to fat buildup in the liver, or MAFLD. This form of liver disease often occurs with other conditions like:

• High blood sugar (prediabetes and diabetes)

• Metabolic syndrome

• High blood pressure

• High cholesterol 

Some people with MAFLD develop more severe complications from it, such as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH). That’s when fat builds up in the liver over time and leads to inflammation. When MASH gets worse, the liver can develop scar tissue, known as cirrhosis. Sometimes, cancer develops in the liver, too. 

Can food help you reverse liver damage?

Yes, some foods can help reverse liver damage from fatty liver. And healthy nutrition may help stop the progression of more severe liver disease.

The Mediterranean diet is a good place to start. Despite the name, this approach to eating can be applied to a wide variety of foods and preferences. Some of the liver-healthy elements of this way of eating include:

• Plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables

• Fish

• Nuts (including peanut butter)

• Olive oil

• Whole grains

• Legumes (beans, peas, lentils)

Drinking certain beverages — including coffee, green tea, and lemon juice — can also benefit the liver. And drinking plenty of water helps your body’s metabolism, which will cause less fat to settle in the liver.

Supplements for fatty liver

Certain herbs, spices, and supplements may also help to slow or reverse liver disease. The supplements that have the strongest evidence supporting liver health are: 

• Milk thistle: A large review study found that taking milk thistle may be good for your liver. Taking milk thistle lowered signs of liver inflammation in people with fat buildup in the liver. 

• Turmeric: Turmeric might be especially helpful for liver health when you take it with black pepper.

• Korean ginseng: Some clinical studies suggest it may be helpful for people with chronic liver disease.  

• Probiotics: Probiotics are often used to improve gut health. They may also help lower liver inflammation in people with fatty liver disease.

But some supplements might be harmful to the liver. And since supplements are not regulated, it might be hard to know what ingredients or doses you are getting. Avoid any supplements with 'proprietary blends', or supplements with a long list of ingredients.

Even natural foods and supplements can interact with some medications, and some may not be right for people with certain health conditions. Talk with a healthcare professional before taking supplements or adding large amounts of herbs or spices to your diet.