Dr Anjali Mahato, consultant dermatologist and member of the British Skin Foundation, explains that smoking harms almost every part of your body.
“Unlike the damage done to your heart or lungs, the effects on the skin are often visible externally,” she says. “Smoking is not only related to the development of certain skin disorders, but it is a leading cause of premature aging of the skin.”
Smoking deprives your skin of oxygen and nutrients. While some smokers’ complexion appears pale, others’ complexion becomes uneven. The habit also stains smokers’ fingers and teeth, and makes them more susceptible to age spots or dark skin spots, especially if they spend a lot of time in the sun.
Tobacco smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals, many of which can trigger the destruction of collagen and elastin, which provide your skin with strength and elasticity. Smoking damages the building blocks of the skin, causing loose skin not only on your face, but also on your arms and breasts.
Smokers develop earlier and deeper wrinkles than non-smokers due to the use of certain muscles around the mouth.
Mahato says the link between smoking and wrinkles has been known for many years. Smoking is an independent risk factor for developing wrinkles. It seems that women are more susceptible to it than their male counterparts.
This usually appears as fine lines around the eyes and mouth – sometimes called crow’s feet – at a younger age than non-smokers.
Mahato says: “In addition to early wrinkles, other facial features have been described in smokers. These include thinning of the skin, facial redness, and prominence of the underlying bone contours of the face.”
Spending too much time in the sun increases your risk of skin cancer, but smoking also increases the risk. Smokers are more likely to develop squamous cell carcinoma (SSc) – the second most common type of skin cancer – which is caused by the uncontrolled growth of abnormal squamous cells in the outermost layer of the skin.
Mayto says: “Even people who smoke only a few cigarettes a day are susceptible. The tobacco found in smoke is thought to suppress your immune system, allowing cancer cells to escape detection.
“Although SCC is easy to treat if detected early, it has the potential to spread to other parts of the body and can be potentially life-threatening.”
Our expert warns that smokers are more likely to develop wart-related cancers – including vulva, anal and penile cancer, as well as genital warts caused by human papillomavirus (HPV). This may be related to the immunosuppressive effects of nicotine.
Several studies have shown that smoking can disrupt the wound healing process, causing increased rates of wound infection, reduced wound strength, skin graft failure, tissue death, and blood clot formation.
Nicotine is believed to narrow blood vessels and reduce blood flow, reducing the amount of oxygen and other nutrients reaching injured tissue. It can also cause small blood clots to form, which can block small blood vessels.
Tobacco also inhibits the formation of collagen. Decreased collagen production causes alterations in the normal inflammatory processes that occur during wound healing. Additionally, smoking delays the formation of new blood vessels within the wound.
Psoriasis
Smoking can aggravate other skin conditions such as psoriasis, a relatively common skin disorder that causes red, scaly patches on the skin.
Mahato explains that smokers are more likely to develop this condition than non-smokers. They are also more likely to have severe and more widespread disease, which is less likely to respond successfully to treatment.
She says: “Nicotine is thought to directly affect your immune system, potentially triggering psoriasis in people who may already have an underlying tendency to develop the condition. It binds to skin cells known as keratinocytes, promoting their cell division and turnover.”
Discoid Lupus Erythematosus
Smoking can also increase the problem of discoid lupus erythematosus. It is an autoimmune skin condition where scaly, red patches often appear in sun-exposed areas.
Mahato says: “The areas may often clear up but leave scars. This is at least ten times more common in smokers than in non-smokers.
“Treatment of the condition with anti-malaria and other drugs has also been found to be less effective in smokers.”
hidradenitis suppurativa
Hidradenitis suppurativa is also common in smokers, a long-term condition that results in painful boil-like inflammation and boils under the skin – especially in the groin and armpits – which can often ooze and leave scars.
Mahato explains: “The areas may often clear up but leave scars. This is at least ten times more common in smokers than in non-smokers.
“Treatment of the condition with anti-malaria and other drugs has also been found to be less effective in smokers.”
Smoking is bad for your skin, but quitting can improve its appearance. Blood flow improves, which means your skin gets the oxygen and nutrients it needs, leaving your complexion looking healthy. Stains found on fingers and nails may also disappear and teeth may appear whiter.
Of course, quitting smoking also improves your general health. Within a year, smokers are half as likely to develop heart disease. And within ten years, a former smoker is no more likely to die from lung cancer than a person who has never smoked.
