What starts as a teenage adventure, can soon turn out to be a habit for life. Smoking unfortunately is one such habit, which has made a lot of people addicted to it. However, have you ever looked beyond the temporary pleasure and relief that it gives you? Have you ever thought of the ways in which it affects your skin? If you are conscious about your appearance and want to look good with flawless skin, then maybe it’s time you learn how smoking can damage it.
- Dullness
Constant smoke in the body and lungs affects the bloodstream, which takes away the natural radiance and glow of the skin. A person starts to have a duller looking skin with regular smoking, and this dullness only gets worse with time. - Uneven skin tone
Since Oxygen and nutrients from the bloodstream cannot reach the skin cells and do their job effectively (because of elements arising from smoking, causing pollution in the bloodstream), the skin develops uneven patches of various tones, affecting one’s complexion. - Wrinkles
Needless to say, smoking affects the natural body functions and the metabolism rate considerably; thereby causing the skin to develop wrinkles much before non-smokers do. In other words, you start to look older at a younger age. The lines start developing more around your lips because of the way you smoke, and then gradually form around your eyes, cheeks and other areas of the face as well. - Loose skin
Collagen and Elastin are the natural elements, responsible for elasticity of the skin. With constant smoking, these elements get destroyed, and soon, a person starts to have loose, sagging skin, which further worsens the wrinkles. - Age spots
These are blotches of dark skin that start appearing on your face as you smoke constantly, and then they become permanent with time. With more damage from sunrays, these spots become even worse. - Psoriasis
Research has indicated that smokers have a higher chance of suffering from Psoriasis, as compared to others. Under this condition, a person develops red and white flaky patches of skin, especially on the knees, elbows and around fingernails, which tend to become permanent. - Crow’s feet
Apart from the regular wrinkles that you develop on your face, Crow’s Feet tend to form particularly around your eyes because of constant squinting from the smoke. The blood flow in the vessels around that area tends to become less, and these lines become deeper with time. - Open pores
Smokers also start to lose the tightness in their skin cells, which cause the pores to open up and become bigger. This of course is a problem, because open pores are more susceptible to catching infections and acne, making the damage even worse.
So it’s important to understand the cons of smoking, before the damage appears and it’s too late to repair it.