How Smoking and Tobacco Affect Your Looks
If you smoke or use smokeless tobacco, the toxins in cigarettes, cigars, vape pens, and chewing tobacco affect more than just your lungs and mouth. These toxins wind up in your bloodstream and can have adverse effects on the collagen and elastin in your skin. As the collagen and elastin break down, your skin becomes less supple, leading to a number of cosmetic issues.
At Jefferson Plastic Surgery, we’ve helped countless patients who’ve experienced aesthetic problems as a result of smoking. The board-certified plastic surgeons at our Philadelphia, PA center would like to go over some of the different ways that smoking can ruin your appearance.
Lines and Wrinkles Get Deeper
The deepening of existing lines and wrinkles is one of the most notable effects of smoking on your looks. This includes both dynamic wrinkles (wrinkles that appear when you make certain facial expressions) and static wrinkles (wrinkles that appear when your face is at rest).
With deeper lines and wrinkles, you may be more likely to need a facelift for wrinkles around the eyes or a brow lift for forehead lines.
More Age Spots and Pigmentation Issues
People who smoke regularly are more likely to experience issues with dark spots and uneven splotches of pigmentation. This is because smoking makes sun damage and other skin imperfections much worse.
More Lip Lines and Mouth Wrinkles
The vertical lines around the upper and lower lips are called smoker’s lines for a reason. The lines around the mouth tend to get more pronounced from smoking, especially if you’ve been a smoker for many years.
Sagging Skin All Over Your Body
Your face isn’t the only part of your body affected by smoking. People who smoke for years will also experience serious sagging and drooping all over the body, including the chest, breasts, and abdominal region.
Tarnishing Your Teeth and Gums
Smoking and chewing tobacco will lead to discolored teeth. You might feel self-conscious about smiling given the serious stains. Smoking is also linked to a higher risk for gum disease, which means gum recession, discolored gums, tooth loss, and other serious dental health issues.
Stains on Your Fingers
Stains aren’t limited to your smile. If you hold cigarettes long enough, they’re bound to stain your skin. Many smokers have fingers and fingernails that have turned yellow and dingy with time. It’s one of those unexpected and unfortunate consequences of smoking that people take for granted.
Bad Hair Days Become a Given
Finally, smoking can have a negative effect on your hair. People who smoke tend to suffer from dry, brittle, and thin hair because of the toxic damage done to their hair follicles.
The Bottom Line: You Should Quit for Good
If you want to look healthy and refreshed, kicking the habit for good is your best bet. If you need help, we can point you toward resources that will make quitting easier. We can then design a treatment plan for the cosmetic issues that you may be experiencing from your time as a smoker.
Contact Jefferson Plastic Surgery
If you would like more information about fighting signs of age and looking your best, be sure to contact our team of board-certified plastic surgeons. You can count on Dr. Steven E. Copit, Dr. Patrick J. Greaney, Jr., and Dr. Matthew P. Jenkins to give you honest answers on treatment options and at-home anti-aging tips.