How Your Smoking Habit is Impacting Your Skin

Not only is smoking linked to serious health consequences, including lung cancer and heart disease, it has a negative impact on your skin. Many of the same mechanisms that make smoking harmful to your heart, blood vessels, and lungs, make smoking bad news for your skin. 

Board-certified physician and WestPort MediSpa director, Dana Brownell, MD, uses the latest nonsurgical cosmetic enhancement techniques to help men and women enhance their appearance.

Your skin is an important part of your appearance, and it requires regular maintenance. At Westport MediSpa, we offer a suite of skin enhancement services, including customized facials, dermal fillers, and Botox®, as well as top-quality skin care products to keep your skin radiant.

Establishing a solid skin care routine is an excellent way to keep your skin in tiptop shape. However, lifestyle factors, such as smoking, can undermine all of your hard work to maintain healthy looking skin. 

Smoking accelerates skin aging

Smoking is incredibly damaging to the skin. It triggers a number of harmful changes to the skin, including disrupting the function of the outermost layer of skin (epidermis). Tobacco smoke induces oxidative stress, which causes skin inflammation. 

It’s wise to quit smoking if your goal is to age gracefully and maintain healthy skin. Smoking increases an enzyme that breaks down collagen, a vital skin protein that keeps skin supple and wrinkle-resistant. This is just one way smoking accelerates skin aging. 

Smoking delays wound healing

Nicotine causes blood vessels to narrow, which reduces blood flow to the skin, and compromises the ability for your skin to heal. Your blood contains oxygen and nutrients that your skin needs to stay healthy. Reduced blood flow leaves your skin vulnerable.

Smoking boosts risk for inflammatory skin conditions

Inflammatory skin conditions, such as psoriasis, are more common in people who smoke. While smoking doesn’t directly cause inflammatory disease, it contributes to inflammation and is linked to a higher risk for inflammatory skin conditions. 

Smoking makes skin dry and dull

Proper hydration is crucial for your skin. It keeps skin soft and smooth. Smoking  causes damage to your skin that leaves skin dry and takes away your skin’s natural glow. 

Years of smoking can leave skin dull and lifeless and this is often most noticeable in your face. The damage smoking causes your skin can cause you to look tired and older than you are. In addition to intensive skin rejuvenation treatments, quitting smoking will go a long way in reviving your skin and protecting your skin health. 

If you're a smoker and planning to quit, or you’ve already quit smoking, the team at Westport MediSpa can help you get your skin on track. Dr. Brownell can evaluate your skin and recommend treatments and enhancements to rejuvenate your skin and reverse the signs of damage from smoking. 

Vibrant, healthy-looking skin is attainable, even if you’re a previous smoker. When you’re ready to restore, replenish, and rejuvenate your skin, we can help. Give us a call to schedule your initial consultation with Dr. Brownell, or book your request online today.