Do you care for healthy and young looking skin? The first thing you should do is quit smoking cigarettes. Tobacco smoke significantly accelerates the aging process of the skin. The skin of a heavy smoker at the age of 40 looks comparable to that of a twice-elderly person who has never smoked cigarettes. The effect of skin damage with tobacco smoke is irreversible. Wrinkles are the strongest motivation for women to give up addiction.
Tobacco smoke has a harmful effect on the skin, mucosa of the mouth, esophagus and stomach, respiratory, digestive, nervous and cardiovascular system. Many life-threatening diseases develop into an invisible way from outside, but you can not hide the signs of skin damage caused by cigarette smoke. It has been scientifically proven that tobacco smoke and UV radiation are the main causes of accelerated skin aging.
Composition of tobacco smoke
Cigarette smoke arises as a result of incomplete combustion of tobacco. It consists of over 4,000 chemical compounds, many of which are toxic. The harmful effects of tobacco smoke do not only affect smokers, but all those who are exposed to it. Tobacco smoke includes, among others: carbon monoxide, ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, nitrogen oxides, acrolein, sulfur oxide, formaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide, acrolein, acetaldehyde, benzene, hydrazine, vinyl chloride, formaldehyde, cadmium and nickel.
When we inhale smoke from a cigarette, carbon monoxide from smoke is absorbed by hemoglobin in the blood. Blood absorbs carbon monoxide 200 times faster than oxygen, so much of the oxygen is displaced by carbon monoxide. Organs, including skin, are devoid of life-giving oxygen and slowly poisoned with carbon monoxide. It is believed that the premature aging of the skin caused by smoking, is mainly responsible for nicotine and free radicals present in smoke.
Free radicals cause oxidative stress, which is the cause of many diseases. In addition, tobacco smoke reduces the levels of vitamins A, C and E, which have an antioxidant effect and help regenerate the skin. It has been found that smokers lose vitamin E from blood twice as fast as non-smokers.
Nicotine has a negative effect on microcirculation, shrinks blood vessels and reduces the amount of oxygen delivered. The contraction condition caused by the burning of one cigarette lasts for about 90 minutes. Chronic ischemia of the skin and weakening of the walls of the blood vessels are the effects of nicotine.
The components of tobacco smoke also have an anti-estrogenic effect that results from the toxic effects on ovarian cells. Estrogen deficiency is manifested by a decrease in firmness, thickness and the degree of hydration of the skin. The effect is comparable to the effects of menopause. Unfortunately, hormonal treatment does not reverse the damage caused by tobacco smoke.
Smoking also results in worsening the effectiveness of rejuvenating treatments. In women smoking tobacco, rejuvenating and improving the appearance of the skin do not bring satisfactory results. The skin heals much worse and serious complications may occur after the procedure. The reason is the inhibition of the granulation process nicotine and a negative effect on the synthesis of collagen and hyaluronic acid.
Are you ready to quit smoking cigarettes now?