Is anyone around you smoking? Do you know how does it affect your skin?
1.Premature aging and wrinkles
Toxins in cigarettes can cause premature aging and other skin conditions, including skin cancer. When you smoke, you can aggravate your skin condition.
If you have a smoking habit and notice that your skin is suffering, you should consult your doctor if. You can also find help centers and counselling to help you quit smoking. Your skin will definitely start healing once you break the habit.
2. Wound healing
Yes – smoking habit delays the wound healing process. It takes a lot of time for smokers to heal from skin injuries and surgical wounds in comparison to the time it takes for non-smokers. Wound infections, flap or graft failure, tissue death, and blood clots are more likely to occur if you have the habit of smoking. Though not proven, these facts may be the key cause for the slow wound healing process for smokers:
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Skin cells lack oxygen because of vasoconstriction and reduced blood flow
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Delaying in keratinocyte migration
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The production of collagen has decreased
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The wound's blood vessels fail to grow quickly enough.
3. Skin cancer
Compared to non-smokers, people who smoke cigarettes are at twice the risk of developing a skin cancer called squamous cell carcinoma. There is also a higher risk of oral leukocytosis (precancer) and oral cancer. Approximately 75% of cases of oral cancer and lip cancer occur in smokers.
Smoker’s Skin |
Non-smoker’s Skin |
The skin may appear younger but with a pall |
Skin appears naturally younger |
More wrinkles around the lips |
Slight aging due to the sun |
More facial wrinkles |
Fewer wrinkles in general |
More prominent skin sagging at a young age |
Minimal sagging of the skin only after a certain age |
Uneven skin tone in many areas of the face |
Uneven skin tone in fewer parts of the face |
More age spots |
Fewer age spots |
Bags on the lower lids of the eyes |
Lesser damage in the eye area |
Deeper wrinkles and lines around the nose and forehead |
Finer lines around the nose and forehead |