IT is common knowledge that smoking cigarettes is bad for your health. It has been associated with many ailments, including heart disease and cancer of the mouth, lungs and esophagus. Smoking also increases the chance of a heart attack or a stroke because it constricts the blood vessels, causing a reduction in blood flow.

It comes as no surprise that smoking also has damaging effects on the skin. You can tell whether a person is a smoker or not based on his or her general appearance: ashen, pale complexion, dry skin, wrinkles formed around the eyes and mouth and a gaunt face.

“Even for a relatively young person, you can have that face if you’ve been smoking habitually for many years. You can notice the change as early as five years of smoking, and the longer you continue to smoke, the worse it will get,” says Dr. Charmaine Gonzales-Castillo, a fellow of the Philippine Dermatological Society.

A smoker gets this appearance because of restricted blood flow and oxygen to the skin, causing an ashy, pale or sometimes yellowish skin tone and premature wrinkles. The skin also rapidly ages due to vitamin C deficiency, since each cigarette robs your body of about 35 mg of vitamin C. And wrinkles are formed predominantly around the mouth and eye area because of the constant puckering and squinting motions that come with smoking.

Deep damage

Applying moisturizing creams may slightly improve the skin’s appearance, but the damage lies deep under the skin.

“Smoking gradually decreases the levels of collagen on your skin, causing the skin to sag and wrinkle,” says Castillo. Having cosmetic procedures done may be an option to revitalize skin, but since the body’s ability to produce collagen is affected, there is a big possibility the results will be unsuccessful.

“Smoking slows down the production of collagen, thus slowing down the body’s ability to heal,” says Castillo.

Second-hand smoke may not have the full effect that a smoker is up against, but being constantly exposed to cigarette smoke does have an effect on health, not to mention one’s skin.

“Being in an environment where you’re always breathing in smoke, you’re already exposing yourself to half of the effects you would get if you were smoking yourself. The effects on the skin includes overall dryness and an increase in the production of free radicals,” says Castillo.

Quitting smoking is your best beauty regimen, along with constant moisturizing and sun protection.

“It is best not to start at all. If you’re smoking, it is better to quit, because the longer you stay on it, the more damage it will do to your skin. At a certain point, you cannot reverse the effects anymore,” says Castillo. (Inquirer News Service)