Just in case you needed one more reason to extinguish the habit for good, Dr Cassy Richmond explains how cigarettes can negatively transform your youthful, "smoking hot" looks.
It's probably pretty fair to assume that just about everybody on the planet earth knows that cigarette smoking is harmful to good health. Smoking is a significant risk factor for heart attacks and strokes. It can also cause a range of cancers (including cancers of the throat, lungs, gastrointestinal tract and bladder).
But here's a newsflash: Did you know that smoking can actually affect your appearance? In fact, research has shown that, after tanning, cigarette smoking is one of the most important causes of premature ageing.
Smoker's face
Over the past few decades, research has shown that cigarette smokers are at risk of developing some dramatic changes to their skin — often making it possible to determine whether someone is a long-term smoker simply by looking at their face (scary!). This "smoker's face" (which is now a well-entrenched term within medical circles) involves a sallow or greyish complexion, with sagging and wrinkled skin — especially around the lips and eyes.
Moreover, the skin of a smoker can develop age spots, enlarged pores and a leathery texture. As you can imagine, these changes cause a smoker to look years older than their actual age (regardless of how much anti-wrinkle cream is applied).
How does smoking cause damage to your face?
Smoking causes the blood vessels beneath the skin to constrict or narrow. This results in a reduced blood flow — and oxygen supply — to the skin, leading to a dull complexion. Smoking also causes the formation of unstable molecules, called free radicals, in the skin. These free radicals cause oxidative damage within the skin — that is, they harm the skin's collagen and weaken the elastin fibres, causing a loss of skin elasticity and the appearance of wrinkles.
In addition, smoking results in a depletion of various essential nutrients and vitamins within the body, such as vitamin C which is vital for overall health and glowing skin.
A British study, published in the Lancet medical journal, has used DNA analyses to quantify the degree of premature ageing. It found that smoking corresponds, on average, to almost five years of accelerated ageing; and someone who has smoked a pack a day for 40 years ages almost eight years faster.
But that's not all
Smoking has additional aesthetic disadvantages. It causes unsightly and stubborn nicotine stains to form on your fingers and teeth. It can also lead to premature greying and hair loss, as well as affecting the quality of your voice — causing smokers to sound deeper and huskier (read: unhealthy, not sexy). Smoking also causes a malodorous smoker's breath, also known as "death breath".
What you can do
It is crucial to recognise that smoking is highly addictive and quitting may be difficult. For advice and support, it is best to call your GP or the Quitline on 137 848 or visit visit Quit.org.au. Stopping smoking, and staying stopped, may help you to reverse some of the harmful effects of smoking — and bring you closer to your youthful looks again.
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