Millions of people smoke cigarettes throughout America. Its internal effects on your lungs, heart and other areas are widely known, but smoking can also have extremely damaging effects on the appearance of your skin. Quitting smoking is the best way to prevent and reduce the damage caused by tobacco smoke products.
Skin Cancer
Smoking raises the risks of all kinds of cancer, not just lung cancer. This includes non-melanoma skin cancer, warns the National Cancer Institute. The institute says quitting smoking is one of the best ways to decrease your skin cancer risks.
Yellow Skin
The tar, nicotine and other chemicals in cigarettes may stain the skin, especially the skin on your hands and fingers. The resulting skin will take on a yellow color, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Wrinkling
Smoking greatly increases the rate at which your skin develops wrinkles. Smoking also comprises a primary cause behind premature wrinkling and skin roughness, researchers discovered in a skin study published in January 2002 in the "International Journal of Dermatology.
General Aging
Symptoms of general aging of the skin, including thinness, discoloration and sagging, appear at an accelerated and premature rate in smokers, reports the University of Maryland Medical Center. This is due to the damaging particles known as free radicals that are released when you inhale cigarette smoke. Though such symptoms of aging are usually noticed most in visible areas exposed to the sun's photoaging ultraviolet rays, a medical study published in May 2007 in the "Archives of Dermatology" found smoking caused the appearance of photoaging-like symptoms even in shielded areas, like the underarm.
Acne
Smoking may potentially make acne appear or aggravate pre-existing acne conditions, reports Columbia University's Health Services. This may be because your skin's pores are trying to exude the toxins ingested through smoke inhalation.
References
- National Cancer Institute: Cancer Prevention
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Making the Decision to Quit Tobacco
- "International Journal of Dermatology"; Cigarette Smoking Associated with Premature Facial Wrinkling; J.S. Koh, et al.; January 2002
- "Archives of Dermatology"; Effects of Smoking on Aging of Photoprotected Skin; Y.R. Helfrich, et al.; May 2007
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Skin Wrinkles and Blemishes
