Smoking is the number one cause of premature, preventable death in the United States, according to the National Cancer Institute. While everybody knows the health problems that smoking causes--heart disease, cancer, stroke, lung disease--smoking also damages your skin. Quitting smoking can make your skin look younger and more vibrant.
Preventing Wrinkles
Smokers have more wrinkles on their face, especially around their eyes and mouths. This is in part because they tighten their lips around their cigarette, pursing their lips when inhaling and squinting their eyes to keep out smoke. But some of the damage is internal. The nicotine in cigarettes causes the blood vessels in your outer layer of skin to narrow, impairing blood flow so that you don't get enough oxygen, vitamin A and other important nutrients.
Reducing Elastin and Collagen Damage
Quitting smoking may be the best decision you ever made if you want to have younger looking skin. In fact, every decade of smoking results in a perceived additional 2.5 years added to your age, according to "Allure Magazine." Smoking destroys collagen and elastin, which are necessary to keep skin firm, young and supple. According to the Mayo Clinic, there are over 4,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke, many of which damage your skin's collagen and elastin. As a result, your skin loses its strength and elasticity and begins to sag and wrinkle prematurely.
Decreasing Risk of Lip and Mouth Cancer
This year, over 8,000 people will die from oral cancers, according to the Oral Cancer Organization. One of the primary contributors to the development of oral cancers is the use of tobacco. In fact, according to the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, studies have shown that the death rate from oral cancer is four times higher for smokers than for nonsmokers. Quitting smoking will help reduce the risk of developing lip or mouth cancer.
Increasing Estrogen Levels
Smoking decreases the level of estrogen in your body, so quitting smoking helps to regulate your estrogen levels. Estrogen is necessary to keep skin firm. According to research published by the National Institute of Health, estrogen prevents dry skin and skin wrinkling.
Restoring Skin Color
Quitting smoking can help reduce the appearance of yellowish, gray or pale skin. Yellow nicotine stains on your fingers and fingernails will begin to disappear shortly after quitting smoking. Additionally, the lung disease emphysema can be caused by smoking. Emphysema causes shortness of breath, making the skin pale from lack of oxygen.
The poisons contained in cigarettes cause the liver to work harder to expel chemicals. This can make the skin turn an unhealthy yellowish-gray. By quitting smoking, your skin will begin to return to normal. In fact, 12 hours after quitting, the carbon monoxide levels in your blood will return to normal, and two weeks after quitting, your lung function will begin to increase.
References
- Mayo Clinic: Smoking: Does it cause wrinkles?
- Allure Magazine: 12 Surefire Ways to Get Younger Skin
- National Cancer Institute: National Cancer Institute: General Information About Lip and Oral Cavity Cancer
- Oral Cancer Organization: Oral Cancer Facts
- American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery: Factors That May Cause Cancer
