Cigarette smoking contribution to skin aging

Cigarette smoking is the second causative factor of premature skin aging after photo aging as it triggers biochemical changes in the body, which accelerate the aging process. It has been shown that individuals who smoke 10 or more cigarettes a day for a minimum of 10 years are statistically more likely to develop deep wrinkled, leathery skin than non smokers. Smoking exerts a noticeable effect on the skin such that it is often possible to detect whether an individual is a smoker or not by simply looking at his or her face. Such individuals have more wrinkles and their skin tends to have a grayish pallor compared with non smokers.

The most serious damage to the skin through smoking is often caused by the following:

• reduction in the body’s storage of vitamin A, which produces protection from skin damage.
• continual puckering from drawing on a cigarette as well as squinting in reaction to cigarette smoke create deeply wrinkled skin around the eyes and mouth – these are classic signs of “smoker’s face”.
• restricted blood flow through the capillaries thereby preventing oxygen and nutrients getting to the skin.
• restriction of the absorption of vitamin C, which is a vital oxidant for skin protection and health
• acceleration of the decrease in collagen production, an enzyme vital to the skin’s elasticity.