Effects of Smoking on the Skin

Excessive cigarette smoking leaves a person susceptible to many fatal diseases like cancer of the lungs, esophagus, coronary artery and heart diseases, chronic bronchitis, etc. Smoking also does harm to the skin of the smoker, and shows many visible signs on the face.

The fact that there is a term 'smoker's face' in the medical dictionary, explains the gravity of these effects. The term 'smoker's face' was coined by Dr. Douglas Model in the year 1985. After years of extensive research, Dr. Douglas was able to identify a smoker from a group of people, just by taking into consideration the looks of the person.

You can now very well imagine the seriousness of the effects. Let's now discuss the effects in more detail.

The smoke from a cigarette contains more than 4000 harmful chemicals. The various dangerous chemicals which are present in high quantities are, nicotine, ammonia, pyridine, carbolic acid, lutidine, and arsenic. The smoke also contains the poisonous gas carbon monoxide.

Carbon monoxide gets absorbed in the blood stream quickly, and eventually destroys the oxygen molecules in the blood. The skin thus gets deprived of oxygen, and gets poisoned with carbon monoxide, which is also a slow poison.

Nicotine contracts the blood arteries that supply blood to the skin cells. This lowers the supply of oxygen to the skin. The reduced supply of oxygen and other vital vitamins to the skin gives rise to many skin problems, especially wrinkles and aging skin signs.

Aging Skin Signs: Smoking leads to premature aging of the skin. Wrinkles, fine lines, sinking of the cheeks and eyes, are the common signs of an aging skin. All these effects on the skin are seen because the skin lacks essential nutrients and vitamins that help in keeping the skin looking fresh.

It also leads to the thinning of the skin. Lack of supply of vitamin C loosens the skin due to lack of elasticity. Lack of vitamin C in the body eventually leads to less production of collagen. Collagen is a powerful antioxidant that keeps the signs of aging skin away. The lack of collagen in the body also gives rise to dark circles under the eyes.

Skin Texture and Color: The skin texture of a smoker is generally discolored, pale or grayish. The skin also develops discolored spots owing to the chemicals in the smoke. Crow's feet around the eyes are also seen in smokers, along with fine lines and wrinkles around the mouth.

Smokers puck their mouth while smoking. This also is said to be the reason for fine lines around the mouth. If you are a smoker and have not noticed these signs yet, let me make it clear that these signs develop after some years.

But these effects should definitely have served an eye opener to all the smokers, especially women. Who would want to look aged at a young age, after all? It is a generation where people are ready to spend any amount just to look good. Smokers are thus harming themselves.

These were the visible effects of smoking on the skin. Apart from these effects, smoking also increases the risk of diseases like psoriasis and basal carcinoma. It also slows the recovery of wounds.

Smoking is hard to quit, but is certainly not impossible. Have you just noticed that you have started developing any aging skin signs, owing to your smoking habit? Take efforts to quit it, and supplement your diet with vitamin-rich food, to compensate for the damage done by the smoke.

You can make use of herbal skin care remedies to protect the skin from the damage. Quitting cigarettes will make you feel a lot better and happy. You would definitely not like to see yourself look like a forty year old when you are only twenty five, would you?