Are you a smoker? If so, you must be aware of the bad consequences – bad breath, brittle hair, yellowish teeth and a higher risk of illnesses e.g. lung diseases. Do you know how smoking affects your skin condition?
In the text, I want to get through the topic of the nicotine effects on skin. Smoking cigarettes isn’t good for the skin, no ifs, ands or buts! Fancy knowing why?

Nicotine is an organic chemical compound that naturally occurs in the leaves and roots of tobacco. Sadly, it gets us into addictions and destroys our good looks totally. WHO has officially put nicotine on the list of narcotics. It’s important that the nicotine isn’t the only black character. The cigarette smoke is full of the whole range of negative (often cancer) substances e.g. tar, toxic carbon dioxide and hydrocyanic.

Smoking cigarettes has a really bad influence on the appearance yet its health risks are most commonly discussed. That’s a good thing as it’s crucial. However, today I focus on the cigarette effects on the skin. I don’t know if you’re aware that the symptoms of the nicotine addiction are striking. Teeth have yellow or even brownish shade. Hair doesn’t just smell but is also brittle and extremely dry. Shortly put – you know someone smokes by just looking at them and the picture isn’t nice.

Considering the beauty, I guess the skin suffers most. I know that many women struggle with this problem. Their attempts to quit smoking end up in failure. That’s why I devote the post to this ‘burning’ case.

HOW SMOKING AFFECTS THE SKIN?

Smoking cigarettes has a harmful impact on the skin condition, no matter the sex or age. It’s worth knowing, though, that the bad processes are faster in case of women and they’re more visible. I know it’s unfair but maybe it’s a trigger for giving up smoking – I would be very glad.

What happens to the skin when you’re smoking a cigarette?

• The skin gets less oxygen, and consequently, it’s greyish, dry and less bouncy.
• Cigarettes speed up the ageing processes even by a few years. It’s said that one packet of cigarettes daily takes away as many as ten years from our skin.
• The quality of collagen fibres and elastin is poorer so wrinkles and age spots appear more quickly. The face skin loses firmness and tightness.
• The skin is exposed to the action of troops of free radicals that are produced while smoking; even a megadose of vitamin A or E won’t do away with them.
• Regular acne breakouts are more common; skin pores are clogged.
• There are changes in the deeper skin layers e.g. changes in micro-circulation and fewer oestrogens hence dryness and loss of skin firmness.

Smoking cigarettes worse than the UV radiation

Imagine, my lovely girls, that you’re on the beach in hot, hottie, hot Egypt without any sun protection – no sunblock, oil or even a hat. After just one day, your skin would be irritated, over-dried and unpleasantly tight; let alone the fact you would get wrinkles far more quickly. What if I tell you that cigarettes are even more deceptive than the sunlight? The skin of smokers is three times older than the skin of non-smokers of the same age. We’re advised against the sun exposure and reminded about sunblocks. In the meantime, cigarettes make up the worse enemy.

How to care for the skin if you’re a smoker?

My piece of advice: quit smoking!

My (smoking) friend makes jokes saying that smoked meat lasts longer…very funny. Let’s face it. Smoking harms the skin. Every cigarette you smoke makes irreversible changes in the skin structure. To make things worse, there’s no cosmetic that can reduce the harmfulness of this habit. Instead of buying tons of anti-ageing products, you’d better give up on cigarettes. Not just for the beauty but for the well-being. However, if you feel you can’t make this step:

• you should start liking intensive face moisturisers and use them regularly twice a day (no excuses);
• you can try saving yourself with antioxidant-rich cosmetics;
• you should enrich your diet with products abounding in antioxidants;
• you should spend most of your free time in the open air;
• you should strengthen the skin protection against UV radiation and free radicals.

Girls, remember that smoking cigarettes doesn’t harm just your skin. The condition of your teeth, nails, hair gets worse, too. As a smoker, you’re far more exposed to lots of diseases. I’d love you to treat this post both as a beauty guide and substantive support in the fight against the addiction. Give up on cigarettes! Don’t let your beautiful faces suffer! 🙂