Effects Of Smoking On Skin: Detailed Guide

Smoking is one of the most harmful things you can do to yourself. It is common knowledge that smoking causes lung, bladder, throat, mouth, kidney, cervix, pancreas, and stomach cancer. In fact, nearly 90% of all cases of lung cancer are caused by smoking. But these effects are morbid and can take some years before manifesting themselves. Smoking starts to cause damage to your skin health from the very first puff. From wrinkles and dryness to uneven skin tone and slow healing, smoking has severe effects on skin health. In this blog, we will explain how smoking affects your skin, the common effects of smoking on skin, and how you can reverse its effects on your skin.

A] How Does Smoking Affect Your Skin?

Cigarettes contain a lot of harmful substances, including nicotine. When you are exposed to cigarette smoke, your skin absorbs nicotine and other chemicals. Most of these chemicals are mutagens that alter your skin’s DNA, deteriorating it. They enter your bloodstream through the skin and lungs, causing all sorts of problems. 

B] Common Effects Of Cigarettes on Skin

1. Causes Premature Ageing & Wrinkles

Premature skin ageing is one of the most common side effects of smoking. The smoke from cigarettes affects your skin’s collagen and elastin, which keeps your skin firm and plump. This accelerates your skin’s ageing process. In fact, the skin of smoking addicts at the age of 40 years resembles the skin of non-smoking 70-year-old adults. Facial signs of smoking include wrinkles on the eyelid, forehead, lips, and nasolabial folds. The skin in the nasolabial folds in smokers is often thicker and denser. 

Also Read: Top Anti-Ageing Treatments For Every Skin Type

2. Reduces Skin Hydration & Glow

Smoking constricts your blood vessels by making them narrower. This restricts the amount of water, oxygen, blood, and nutrients that flow through your skin cells. Blood gives our skin its red glow. Without enough blood flowing through the skin, it can look dull and greyish. Researchers also found that smokers have a lower amount of vitamin D circulating in their skin, which is necessary for maintaining the skin barrier and repairing the skin tissues. This also affects skin hydration, making the skin look dry and aged. If you notice these issues, we recommend visiting our dermatology clinic in South Mumbai.

3. Triggers Uneven Skin Tone & Dark Spots

People who smoke often have high melanocyte formation in their skin. Melanocytes produce melanin, which makes the skin look aged and creates pigmentation problems. Smokers tend to have age spots and dark spots at a very young age. As mentioned before, due to restricted blood flow, your skin could also appear bluish or grey. A common identifier of smokers is dark lips due to tobacco exposure and reduced blood flow. Oxidation from tobacco, along with ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the environment, can accelerate pigmentation and uneven skin tone. 

4. Delays Wound Healing & Increases Scarring

If you have ever undergone surgery, you would have noticed that doctors recommend that you abstain from smoking before the surgery and during recovery. This is because smoking can hinder wound healing and can cause infections. Smokers are more likely to experience delayed healing, dehiscence, postsurgical site infection, wound complications, and lack of bone healing. Lack of collagen production and inflammation can also cause hypertrophic scars, which are thicker and more pronounced. 

5. Increases Risk of Skin Diseases & Cancer

Smoking increases the risk of skin diseases like psoriasis, eczema, acne, and skin cancer. Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease, which means it is incurable. People with psoriasis develop thick, scaly plaques on their skin that keep piling on. Eczema, also known as atopic dermatitis, is a condition where the patient develops dry, itchy skin that may crack, bleed, or become infected.

6. Can Cause Polymorphic Light Eruption

Polymorphic light eruption is a condition that causes rashes and itching when exposed to sunlight or UV rays. It is recognised by red itchy bumps on the skin that is exposed to the sun, like the neck, hands, and face. Chain smokers who smoke over 15 cigarettes a day are at greater risk of developing this condition.

Further Reading:

• Chemical Peel Treatment
• Pico Laser Treatment
• How to Take Care of Sensitive Skin
• how does IV drip therapy work
• Skincare Routine for Men
• Advantages of a Thread Lift
• Acne Scar Treatment

C] Can You Reverse the Skin Damage from Smoking?

1. Quitting Smoking: Quitting smoking is the first step to skin recovery.  When you quit smoking, your body will start to produce collagen. This helps to restore natural pigmentation. 
2. Hydrate & Nourish Your Skin: Hydrating your skin restores its natural glow and assists in collagen production. Drink plenty of water and eat a balanced diet to let your skin cells heal. 
3. Increase Oxygen & Blood Circulation: Regular exercise and meditation can help you increase oxygen and blood circulation throughout your body, including your skin. This assists in your recovery process by promoting collagen production and widening your blood vessels. 
4. Professional Treatments for Skin Repair: Smoking can make your skin look much older. You can take the help of professional skin treatments. 

D] Professional Treatments We Offer at Our Clinic in South Mumbai

• Chemical Peel Treatment: We offer a three-tiered chemical peel treatment in South Mumbai for removing acne, scars, pigmentation, wrinkles, and uneven skin texture.
• Fine Line Treatment: Our fine line treatment helps you reverse the effects of ageing, be it natural or caused by smoking. 
• Laser Treatment for Acne Scars: Our laser treatment in South Mumbai can help reduce hypertrophic and atrophic scars. Smokers are at a greater risk of developing this type of scar. 

Conclusion

Smoking has a number of effects on the skin, including ageing, dryness, dark spots, poor healing, and even increasing the risk of skin diseases. These conditions start almost immediately and worsen over time. Quitting smoking is the first step towards stopping and even reversing these conditions. However, for effective skin recovery, you need to nourish your skin, adopt a healthy lifestyle, and seek professional skin treatments.

Skinerva offers a range of skin treatments in South Mumbai, such as chemical peel treatment, fine line treatment, and laser scar treatment. Get in touch with us today to get a tailored treatment plan for rejuvenated skin.