May 13, 2020 Skincare
Lighting up the end of a cigarette not only harms your lungs, but it ages your skin and weakens its defenses. It causes skin cancer, hyperpigmentation, and in some cases, psoriasis.
Moreover, it is common knowledge that smoking impacts not only the smoker but also people who don’t smoke. The fumes can affect the skin of those sitting around while also making them susceptible to respiratory problems.
Harmful effects of smoking on the skin include:
1. Premature Aging
Smoking deprives the skin of oxygen, speeding up the aging process, and exhausting vitamins required by the body to heal. According to research, a smoker’s body takes more time to heal, and this includes skin repair and regeneration, acne, pigmentation, and more. It also causes stretch marks as nicotine found in cigarettes causes collagen and elastin to crumble.
2. Cancer
Second, to UV damage, smoking triggers skin cancer among others like lung, mouth, and throat cancer. It damages the skin tissue and impairs cell growth. The impact is slow but inevitable. As per the findings of the World Health Organisation, the 10 global causes of death in 2016 stated that lower respiratory infections stand at the 4th position.
3. Diabetes
Smoking promotes loss of appetite, making one eat at irregular intervals while mostly binging on easy-to-make fatty foods. This unhealthy lifestyle can lead to diabetes and other gastrointestinal disorders. Most cases of acne and hyperpigmentation are linked to indigestion or infections that the body was trying to fight. And this gets worse when someone is trying to quit.
4. Hypersensitivity
Smoking weakens the skin, making it hypersensitive to heat and external pressures. Nicotine, while leaving yellow stains on the skin and teeth, also delays wound healing, which results in bacterial infection and even post-acne pigmentation. The rules here are the same as UV damage, but unlike the sun, you have a choice to avoid it! 🙂
5. Pale and Uneven Skin
Dark lips, dry cheeks, and wrinkled chin is not something everyone wants to see in the mirror. Nicotine keeps you awake like coffee, and when you smoke at night, you can’t sleep, which leaves you with Netflix and dark circles. Yes, non-smokers can’t sleep as well, but at least they are not smoking!
6. Pungent Smell
Smoking leaves a stink on your body and skin, making it uncomfortable for people sitting next to you. It also raises heat levels making you sweat twice than usual. It also gives rise to boils or acne inflammations if you have sensitive skin.
7. Side-effects of Quitting
Why start if trying to quit will give you a hard time? Nausea, irritable syndrome, constipation, acne, and mental lockdown are some of the side-effects that are not worth losing your sanity over.