Today the topic of the article is: Your skin when you smoke. If there is a topic that is usually sensitive, it is cigarettes. Sometimes it is difficult to talk about it with family, friends or at work, because in every group there is someone who smokes and who is not very happy to hear the damage it causes and how good it would be to quit. In our own office there is everything: from anti-smoking banners to one that is still fighting the habit. Like any addiction, consumption is not exactly voluntary (it does not stop even though the risks are known), it alters behavior (one leaves work or a social gathering to smoke), it causes tolerance (the number of cigarettes increases). that one needs) and generates abstinence if consumption stops. So let’s answer the question : your skin when you smoke?
AND WHAT DOES IT CAUSE ON THE SKIN?
Your skin when you smoke. Going to the topic at hand, it is intuitive to think that the skin is not immune to the effects of cigarettes. In addition, those who smoked and quit know how much the improvement is noticeable in their skin. There is no one who does not realize it! 😉 Beyond what experience says, science has demonstrated it in numerous studies:
Smoking impairs healing and increases the chances of post-operative complications (such as infection and necrosis). This is because it decreases blood flow, inhibits the migration of fibroblasts to the affected site and compromises oxygenation. Luckily, it has been proven that stopping smoking a month before surgery greatly reduces these risks 9 , so it is highly recommended to keep this in mind! 😉 Of course it is only valid for scheduled surgeries (such as cosmetic interventions) and not for procedures that must be done urgently.
It causes premature aging (especially if you multiply the years you have been smoking by the number of boxes per day and it gives you more than 40) . This is because it causes the formation of free radicals, causes mutations and affects the structural components of the skin (collagen, elastin and proteoglycans) through the activation of metalloproteases (enzymes that destroy them). In addition, contact with smoke dries out the skin, making it thinner and more fragile. The factor of expression lines is also added due to the facial movements one makes when smoking, such as pursing the lips (causing the dreaded “bar code”) 13 . A study done in 2007 compared the faces of two twin girls, one a smoker and one not. We can’t publish the photos here because they belong to the authors, but believe us, the difference in wrinkles and skin aging is truly incredible (not to mention chilling). For more information about aging, you can read our post: All about intrinsic and extrinsic aging .
Increases the risk of skin cancer in the anogenital area .
It increases the risk of contact dermatitis and psoriasis (and makes it more severe and less likely to remit).
It is a risk factor for Hidradenitis Suppurativa .
It is a risk factor for Androgenic Alopecia (hair loss).
I WANT TO LEAVE, ANY TIPS?
Your skin when you smoke. Yeah! Many. First some facts: 70% of smokers want to quit. However, only 3% achieve it without help. And it is no wonder, because when you stop any addiction you have to face the withdrawal syndrome (which includes symptoms such as irritability, depression, anxiety, lack of concentration, increased appetite and sleep disturbances) 1 . But there is good news! The first is that this syndrome lasts only 4 weeks 1 . The second is that there are measures available to be able to beat him by a landslide. 😉 In all medical services there are smoking cessation groups and professionals who can help. According to the National Guide to Addressing Smoking, measures that have proven useful include everything from individual and group support sessions to medication (Nicotinic Replacement Therapy, Bupropion, etc.). Other behaviors that also help are physical exercise, measures that help with good stress management and avoiding habits that one has associated with smoking (coffee, phone calls, etc.). Not everything mentioned is indicated for everyone, so if you are thinking about stopping, do not hesitate to consult with your doctor to design the best plan for you. It’s good to know that most people need more than one try to finally quit 1 , so don’t be discouraged if you’ve already tried more than once! This may be the charm. 😉
Although there are plenty of reasons to overcome this vice for general health, now you have the excuse of your skin! The changes are noticeable between 1 and 3 months after stopping 1 (fewer wrinkles, more firmness and more hydration). We hope you found this post useful and do not hesitate to tell us your experiences! The Chemist Look Team.
SOME INTERESTING FACTS
Nicotine generates more addiction in the Nervous System than heroin and cocaine 1 .
Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the world (it kills one person every 6 seconds, that is, 5.4 million per year) 2 .
On average, subtract 15 years from your life expectancy .
It is the only legal product that kills half of the people who consume it by correctly following the instructions for use 6 .
It is a risk factor for 6 of the 8 main causes of death in the world (ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular diseases, lower respiratory infections, COPD, tuberculosis and cancer of the trachea, bronchi and lung) 2 .
Children exposed to tobacco smoke are at increased risk of sudden death, low birth weight, respiratory infections and diseases, middle ear diseases, and lung cancer.
AND WHAT ABOUT THE HAND AND MOUNTH?
They are the parts of the body that participate most actively in the act of smoking and receive extra exposure to tobacco smoke. The consequences are obvious. Regarding the mouth, smoking is associated with:
Smoker’s melanosis (dark gums)
Nicotinic stomatitis (lesions on the palate that occur especially in pipe smokers)
Alterations in the tongue (it becomes blackened)
Regarding the hand:
One study showed the relationship between smoking and a higher prevalence of eczema .
It is also strongly associated with Palmoplantar Pustulosis (an inflammatory skin disease) 22 .
It causes a yellowish appearance on the nails that is very characteristic of those who smoke (“harlequin nail”). It is even possible to calculate how long ago they left (because you can measure the length of the “healthy” portion of the nail that begins to grow under the yellowish nail).
