According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), tobacco use causes more than 5 million deaths per year worldwide, and current trends show that tobacco use will cause more than 8 million deaths annually by 2030. On average, smokers die a decade earlier than nonsmokers.
Even with government advisories and national awareness efforts, an alarming number of people continue to smoke. Smoking causes cancer, heart disease, emphysema and stroke. It’s also known to cause higher risk of birth defects and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and many others.
Did you know that smoking also affects a person’s appearance? What exactly are the effects of smoking on the skin?
Wrinkles
Smoking accelerates the normal aging process of skin and this leads to the formation of wrinkles. Research says that the more a person smokes, the longer he or she does, the greater the risk of premature wrinkling.
Mayoclinic.org says that the nicotine in cigarettes causes narrowing of the blood vessels in the outermost layers of your skin. With impaired blood flow, your skin doesn’t get as much oxygen and important nutrients. Many of the more than 4,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke also damage collagen and elastin, which are fibers that give your skin its strength and elasticity. As a result, skin begins to sag and wrinkle prematurely.
Wound healing
Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) states that smoking impairs wound healing, delaying recovery and increasing complications. Although this occurs with all types of surgery, some plastic surgeons have been known to decline to perform cosmetic surgeries on patients who refuse to quit smoking.
Psoriasis
A study led by Dr. Luigi Naldi, found that there’s a much higher risk of psoriasis in people who smoke. According to Dr. Naldi, “We know that smoking affects the onset of psoriasis and its clinical appearance. Smoking about doubles a person’s risk of getting psoriasis; the risk increases with the number of cigarettes smoked per day, and is higher in women than men. The risk for women who smoke more than 20 cigarettes per day is about 2.5 times greater than the rate of nonsmokers, and in men the risk is about 1.7 times greater than the rate of nonsmokers.”
Bad complexion
Skin compromised by smoke has a greyish, wasted appearance. Did you know that smoking can also stain your nails, fingers and teeth? In addition, ASH says that smoking can make people more prone to acne and delay the healing of blemishes. Women, in particular, have been found to have more frequent and severe acne, which worsens the more they smoke.
