Perhaps, the most detrimental natural factor to the premature aging of your skin is the sun. "Photoaging" is the technical term that dermatologists use to describe aging caused by the sun. Light-skinned people develop more intense sings of photoaging than those people with dark skin.

Sun damage occurs over a period of several years. With repeated sun exposure, the skin can no longer repair itself and the damage occurs. Even the sunburns you received as a child can cause wrinkling as an adult. It is imperative that you apply sunscreen to all visible areas of your body-namely, your face, neck, arms, and hands-in order to protect yourself.

Cigarette smoking also causes accelerated aging. Smokers are shown to develop deeply wrinkled skin earlier in age than a non-smoker. Also, the nicotine in cigarettes has been shown to cause a yellowish-hue to the smoker's complexion. These signs can be diminished by stopping smoking. Even people who have been a smoker for years can gain a lot of their skin-elasticity back if they stop smoking today.

Tip: Smoking can add an average of 15 years to your face-aging you amazingly fast.

Something that many people do not think about causing premature aging is the way they sleep. It's true-sleeping positions can cause wrinkles. Most of us have woken in the morning with a "line" across our face from the way we were sleeping. A "sleep line" is essentially, a permanent wrinkle.

Of course, there are several more factors that are involved in the aging of your skin, but the sun, cigarette smoke, and sleep position are a few that you can take hold of. Some may take more time to control than others, such as smoking. What's important is to start now and you would see a vast improvement in your skin.