Does Smoking Affect Skin Health?
You already know about the dangers of smoking, but did you know that it can also make your skin age faster? Not only are there real health dangers involved with a tobacco habit, but there’s also vain reasons to quit. In fact, it’s scientifically proven that cigarettes cause wrinkles, dark circles, under eye puffiness, and even skin cancer. So, as you may use tobacco to de-stress, your skin is actually stressing out over your addictive habit.
There are many different factors that affect the skin. Environmental conditions such as UV radiation, low humidity, and pollution can have a rather dramatic effect. Even internal processes such as stress, medical conditions, genetics, and diet can make your skin look worn out and old. However, if you want to know which factor makes your skin look the oldest in the shortest amount of time, look no further. In fact, smoking cigarettes can make your skin look duller and droopier, causing you to look far older than you actually are. So, how does smoking affect the skin? We’ll list the main effects below.
Oxygen Deprived Skin Effects
One of the main reasons smoking makes you look older is the fact that it doesn’t allow as much oxygen to reach the skin. Basically, the blood vessels underneath your skin become thinner and spasms as the nicotine enters your bloodstream. This lessens the amount of nutrient and oxygen rich blood going to your skin. And if you’ve ever noticed your complexion after a good work out, you may have seen that your skin looks like it’s glowing. That’s because working out delivers more oxygen to your muscles and your skin. But nicotine makes your blood vessels thinner for up to 90 minutes. So, you’re basically suffocating your entire body of nutrient-rich oxygen and the wonderful effects.
Quitting Smoking can help…
- Brighten Tired Eyes
- Reduce Wrinkles And Fine Lines
- Firm, Plump And Tighten Skin
- Whiten Stained Teeth
- Stop Damage To Gums/Lips
How Does Cigarette Smoke Affect Your skin?
So, we’ve covered how inhaling cigarette smoke affects your skin. But, did you know that the smoke you exhale also ruins your skin? After you take a drag of a cigarette, you will inevitably blow that smoke out. And as you breathe out, you’re releasing a toxic cloud of tobacco, nicotine, and other chemicals. And now these chemicals are not just inside your body, but they’re floating around your face. As your skin provides a barrier to most external effects, the smoke that is exhaled typically causes blackheads and acne, in addition to aging signs. Also, the skin becomes drier and drier with cigarette use, and without enough moisture, your skin has trouble regenerating.
Does Smoking Affect The Immune System?
It’s common knowledge that smoking negatively affects every part of your body. And that includes your immune system. But did you know that your immune system also controls how fast your body heals? A healthy immune system is critical for young and beautiful looking skin. And there is evidence that smoking tobacco decreases the skin’s ability to revive and repair wounds. This is because nicotine and cigarette smoke contain carbon dioxide, which is known to reduce the supply of nutrients needed to regenerate. Plus, smokers are 50% more likely to develop skin cancer.
The Good News About Quitting
There’s more information and help than ever for people looking to quit smoking. In fact, doing a simple internet search will pull up programs to help you through nicotine cravings. And even better, there’s medication now available to make smoking smell and sound disgusting. Within just 2 hours of quitting, your heart rate and blood pressure will improve. And this also means that your skin will start to look younger and even glow.
- Earth Med CBD: Healing Naturally With the Power of Plant-Based Wellness - August 24, 2023
- Nature’s Stimulant CBD Supplement - August 24, 2022
- Progentra Review - September 11, 2018
