Smoking - Effects of Smoking on your Skin - Self Help guide to help in getting off with Smoking

There can't be many people who are unfamiliar with the problems and diseases that are caused by smoking. These range from the lethal- including emphysema and lung cancer- to the cosmetic, such as bad breath and discolored teeth. But you may not be aware that smoking also has a detrimental effect on your skin.

In A Puff of Smoke

Tobacco smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals, and many of these have harmful effects on a number of the body's systems. The three main components of tobacco smoke appear to cause the most damage.

  • Nicotine is the addictive element in cigarettes. It is rapidly absorbed from the lungs into the bloodstream and reaches the brain in about seven seconds. Nicotine stimulates the central nervous system, raising the heart rate and blood pressure. It encourages fatty deposits to adhere to blood vessel walls, leading to narrowing of the arteries that supply the heart muscle. Nicotine also encourages blood clotting, which can contribute to strokes and heart attacks.

  • Tar is a mixture of more than 1,000 chemicals. It includes a variety of irritants and at least 60 known carcinogens(cancer producing agents). When you smoke a cigarette, tar is deposited in the lungs and respiratory system, and is gradually absorbed throughout the body. This can contribute to the risk of lung cancer, as well as cancers of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, bladder, pancreas, and kidney .

  • Carbon monoxide displaces oxygen from hemoglobin, reducing the amount of oxygen the blood can carry around the body. This starves tissues of the oxygen they need to keep the cells healthy.

Smoking and Skin - Bad Effect of Smoking on your Skin

A number of scientific studies have compared the skin of smokers and non­smokers- with depressing results.

  • Wrinkles Again and again, analysis showed that smokers have far more wrinkles than non-smokers. Some of the research found that smokers of up to 20 cigarettes a day are almost five times more likely to have deep and noticeable wrinkles than non-smokers. Others indicated that smokers develop wrinkles at a much earlier age- sometimes 20 years earlier than non smokers. There are several reasons for this difference. Smoking damages the collagen and elastin fibers in the skin, making it less firm and resilient. And the constant puckering of the lips and squinting from the smoke causes smokers to develop lines around their lips and eyes, and on their foreheads.

  • Skin color and texture But it's not just wrinkles that affect smokers' skins. Their faces are often sallow and gray, with more tiny visible blood vessels­often known as broken veins- on the nose and cheeks. This is because smoking impairs circulation. The skin may be thickened and leathery, like that of people who have been much exposed to the sun- again due to the breakdown of collagen and elastin.

  • Skin cancer Smokers run an increased risk of squamous cell carcinoma- skin cancer- and suffer a greater recurrence of this cancer after treatment. Smokers also suffer from impaired wound-healing after surgery. This is probably due to the way in which nicotine constricts blood vessels, thereby reducing blood supply to the tissues.

Other Damaging Effects Of Smoking

There are other detrimental effects of smoking that can be reflected in your skin:

  • Smoking hampers your breathing capacity. This, in turn, inhibits your circulation and deprives the skin cells of oxygen.

  • Smoking increases free-radical activity, which can damage the skin .

  • Smoking depletes the tissues of vitamin C, a nutrient that is vital for healthy­looking skin. It is estimated that one cigarette destroys about 25mg of vitamin C, and that smokers are two or three times more likely than non-smokers to show signs of vitamin C deficiency .

Self Help guide For Smokers

  • There's no way around this- give up smoking. The sooner you start, the better your skin will look. Although giving up won't eliminate damage already done, it can help to slow down the aging process and keep your skin looking younger for longer .

  • If you do continue to smoke, increase your intake of vitamin C-rich foods. Include lots of fruits and vegetables in your diet, or take a supplement.

  • Passive smoking may also harm your skin. Avoid smoky environments, ask people not to smoke in your home, and try to make your workplace smoke-free.

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