A lot of writing about the negative health effects of smoking is mostly concerned with the dangerous internal effects smoking has on the body, but just as real and maybe more concerning are the effects it can have on a person's external appearance. According to Medical News Today, most young smokers are concerned about the long-term skin-deep effects of smoking, which shows the issue is growing in notability. Smoking can increase the rate at which a person ages physically and feels their age catching up with them.
Aging
The most startling effect smoking can have on the physical appearance is it seems to accelerate the aging rate. According to Stop Smoking, people that smoke see wrinkle development earlier than non-smokers and can also experience other symptoms of rapid skin aging, like gray color and gauntness, earlier. This is because of the poisons in tobacco that are ignited and inhaled when smoking.
Yellowing
Chronic smoking also causes yellow stains to appear on the smoker's teeth. According to Family Gentle Dental Care, this is due to sticky tar deposits that collect over time, and in especially bad cases, may eventually turn an even more unpleasant brown. The distribution of nicotine throughout the body can also turn fingernails yellow and leave nicotine stains on fingers.
Breath
An all-important part of personal presentation is a person's breath, which can be ruined by cigarette smoke. In addition to the aftertaste that appears immediately after smoking a cigarette and can be smelled by those nearby, over long periods of time, smoking can leave deposits too hardy to even brush or rinse out of the mouth.
Hair Loss & Thinning
Similar to causing poor skin health, smoking over a long period of time can contribute to hair loss. According to Stop Smoking, most male smokers experience loss of hair, and nearly all others notice their hair thinning more rapidly than that of non-smokers. Thinning hair is also common in women who smoke.
Muscle Growth
Long-term smoking also has a harmful effect on muscle development, which is especially bad when the smoker starts at an early age, when muscle growth rates are most easily stunted. According to Wellsphere, smoking thins the oxygen the lungs put in the blood, which means less oxygen can be sent as needed to muscles, effectively capping their growth rate.
