What Smoking Does to Your Skin

 
On the third Thursday of November, every year, the American Cancer Society sponsors and promotes the Great American Smokeout to encourages smokers to quit. By now, most of us know how harmful smoking is to our health.

Smoking harms almost every organ in the body and contributes to an estimated 443,000 deaths, or nearly one of every five deaths, each year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

More deaths are caused each year by tobacco use than by all deaths from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides, and murders combined. Smoking causes 90% of lung cancer deaths in men and 80% in women and it doubles the risk of coronary heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States, according to the CDC.

What many people do not realize is how harmful smoking is to our skin – the largest organ in our body, one we happen to wear on the outside. While we may not see damage to our heart or lungs, we can certainly see damage caused by smoking on our skin.
Smoking is actually the worst thing you can do to our skin after tanning. It speeds up the normal aging process and can add between 10-20 years to our natural age. Because smoking constricts blood vessels in the outer layer of skin, it impairs blood flow to the skin. With less blood flow, our skin doesn't get as much oxygen and other nutrients, such as vitamin A and C. This causes premature wrinkles and sagging on our face and other parts of our bodies too.

There are more than 4,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke that damage collagen and elastin, fibers that give our skin strength and elasticity. We lose collagen as we age, but smoking makes us lose it even more quickly. In addition, the heat from cigarettes and the constant pursing of the lips contribute to those nasty wrinkles around the mouth.

There is no way around it, even the best of facials cannot get rid of smoker's face: grey, pale, and wrinkled skin, skin that has lost its glow and vitality. Not until you quit smoking will you be able to smile from a non-smoker's face! Not all the damage caused by smoking can be reversed, but a good diet, exercise, and sunscreen will go a long way to restore your skin to a more healthy and youthful appearance after you quit smoking.

And, course, so will regular facials! Good luck!
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