If not for your life, or your wife, reduce smoking to avoid skin aging & wrinkling!
Cigarette smoke contains about 4000 toxins which are absorbed directly and circulated through the blood to reach the skin. Smoking slows down the process of skin regeneration - Nicotine causes the vasoconstriction of the blood vessels in the superficial layers of the skin thus reducing its blood supply. This in turn causes a reduction in the availability of oxygen (which is necessary for all living cells) and decreased removal of waste products, dead cells etc... which provide the necessary environment for regeneration. Alcohol has a similar effect by destroying the body supply of Vitamin A & C. This will lower the role of skin as the first line of defense against bacteria and infections. The same Vitamin A is used in the skin turnover process to help generate the new cells that replace the dead ones. The vitamins provide a boost in the production of collagen and make the skin look more youthful.
Smoking is also associated with slow or incomplete healing of wounds because of reduced oxygen supply through narrowed skin vessels.
A study found that smoking for 10 minutes, decreases tissue oxygen tension for almost an hour and concluded that the typical pack-a-day smoker would remain hypoxic for most of each day. (Smith and Fenske, Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology)
Hypoxia is a reduction of oxygen supply to a tissue below physiological levels despite adequate perfusion of the tissue by blood. This affects skin in a large way as it is the largest organ of the body. Smoking also produces an enzyme which is responsible for the breakdown of collagen & elastin in the skin. Collagen being the main structural protein of the skin which maintains plumpness & elastic fibers in the skin that maintain tightness, when broken down give premature wrinkling. The action of pursing the lips when drawing on a cigarette & squinting the eyes to keep out the smoke can cause wrinkling around the eyes and mouth giving crow's feet & oral rhaghades.
Smoking also causes yellow or dark brown discoloration of teeth and tissues of fingers & nails due to nicotine absorption & hypoxia. There may be halitosis.(bad breath). The tobacco released in the environment while smoking, causes skin on the face to become dry.
While short term effects of stimulation of the mind make a person feel good, the long term effects on the skin & other vital organs are not worth the risk. I.e. Taking a smoke would increase the heart rate & blood pressure while reducing the blood supply to the tips of fingers & toes. Life threatening diseases have been a result of prolonged smoking in humans. Smokers also have a three- fold higher risk of developing psoriasis of the skin which is a chronic condition.
Chronic alcohol intake results in various skin disorders like urticaria, flushing on the face leading to rosacea, cirrhosis of the liver and seborrheic dermatitis.
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