Q. What does smoking do to the skin?
A.
It is well known that cigarette smoking causes an increased risk of
developing major health problems such as lung cancer, cardiovascular
illnesses, emphsyma, etc. Now, there is another reason to stop smoking
or never start -- Smoker's Face.
Unique to smokers, the condition of smoker's face is a
combination of wrinkles, wierd features, and an oddly colored
complexion. Research has shown that smoking acts on the small blood
vessels, reducing the blood circulation to the skin. Smokers get more
wrinkles, deeper wrinkles, all over their faces because nicotine
constricts the tiny capillaries that nourish the skin. Skin that is
starved for blood, and therefore for oxygen, tends to develop the signs
of smoker's face.
The signs are:
-
Lip wrinkling. Smokers also may have wrinkles that
radiate outwardly around their lips.
-
Skin color. Smokers very often have a yellow grey pallor
to their skin. It is often easy to detect whether or not a person is a
smoker simply by looking at his or her face.
-
Balding. Men who smoke are twice as likely to become bald
as are men who do not smoke. Premature graying and thinning of the hair
is 3 to 6 times more common in smokers.
-
Cobblestone wrinkles. Men smokers can be prone to yet
another distinctive feature when they smoke. The backs of their necks
may develop so called "cobblestone wrinkles" where the skin looks like a
grid of tiny squares.
-
Leathery appearance. Slight hollowness of the cheeks,
which emphasizes the bony contours of the face and leads to a gaunt
appearance, a leathery or worn appearance to the face which may have a
grayish tinge.
-
Second hand smoke. Direct exposure to cigarette smoke,
which contains hundreds of toxic substances, can dry and irritate your
skin and promote wrinkles as well as cause serious health risks.
Be particularly cautious if you smoke and are exposed to
the sun a great deal. It appears that cigarette smoking exacerbates the
premature wrinkling caused by over exposure to the sun.
It is ironic that so many women smokers go to great
lengths to preserve their youthful appearance while they insist on
continuing the one habit that makes them look old.
The best beauty treatment is to quit smoking or never
to start.
If you have any questions or
comments about this topic, please contact me by
e-mail.
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