We are all aware of the dangers posed by smoking to our health, but how does smoking impact the health, and vitality of our skin? There are numerous toxic chemicals found in cigarette smoke that impact skin resilience. The list includes ammonia, cadmium, carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, formaldehyde, lead, mercury, tar, and nicotine. This dangerous combination of chemicals impacts blood circulation, and the oxygenation of all our cells. The health and vitality of collagen, and elastin throughout the body is compromised. The skin does not heal normally, it becomes drier and more fragile. Outwardly, this results in sagging and wrinkling sallow skin that is slow to heal. Aging is inevitable, but the process accelerates when you smoke. In other words, you'll look older than your years.
The actions of puffing on a cigarette results in yellow-stained fingers, discolored teeth, smoker's breath, deep vertical lines around the lips, and Crow's feet develop around the eyes from squinting. When cigarette smoke combines with ultraviolet light it becomes phototoxic. In other words, its toxicity increases. Smokers with higher rates of uv exposure have more skin damage due to this factor.
For a visual slideshow, visit this link:
www.webmd.com/smoking-cessation/ss/slideshow-ways-smoking-affects-looks
