The Impact of Smoking; Twins

Everyone knows that smoking is bad for your health, and many also know that smoking is no good for the skins condition. This photograph of twins shows how much older you can look through smoking (Aging studies on twins – American plastic surgeon Dr. Antell). But why, in fact, is this?

Oxygen

Oxygen is necessary in order to keep your skin healthy and supple. Smoking narrows the blood vessels in the skin and consequently the blood supply to the skin is greatly reduced. It is, on average, even a decrease of 30% (Goldberg and Herriott, Light Years Younger).

A dull complexion

I can usually see immediately if someone smokes. The dull complexion (grey or yellowish) in most smokers is a ‘give away’. This is particularly noticeable in people over the age of 30 (this can be seen in the blog ‘Getting Older’).

Reduced elasticity and ageing

Apart from a dull complexion someone who smokes also loses the elasticity in their skin. This is a bit more technical, but in a regular smoker, the number of free radicals in the body increases significantly. I’ve written before that these free radicals cause gradual damage to the skin and slow down the cell renewal process. The skin will then prematurely age.

Wrinkles around the mouth

The so called ‘expression lines’ can arise due to smoking. Expression lines are wrinkles that arise because someone often makes a specific movement. This can be, for example, eating, frowning, sleeping or playing a certain musical instrument. But you also make a constant movement with your mouth when you smoke where, for many smokers, ‘smoking lines’ become visible.

All in all it’s never too late to stop!

Regards Jetske

(Dr. Jetske Ultee – Research Physician Cosmetic Dermatology)

You can also read:
‘The Effects of the Sun: Twins’,
‘Skin Ageing Due to the Sun’ and
‘Anti-Oxidants in Cosmetic Products‘.