6 surprising factors that can accelerate the aging of your skin

Believe it or not, your skin won't necessarily show signs of aging in a linear fashion, as you progress from one birthday to the next. How fast your skin ages depends on intrinsic factors, which include genetic influences and your overall health, and extrinsic factors, such as getting excess sun exposure, smoking and even sipping through a straw frequently.

"Approximately 30 percent of how you age is genetically determined, which means you have a great deal of control over how your skin looks over time," says Dr. Doris J. Day, a clinical associate professor of dermatology at the New York University Medical Center and author of "Forget the Facelift." "You really don't have to look your age: Your skin's health and resiliency can be decades younger than your actual age."

The key is to sidestep or mitigate sneaky factors that can accelerate the skin's aging process.

Here are five surprising culprits that can make your skin age faster than it should, with advice on how to deal with them:

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