Cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung diseases, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are among the most severe conditions you can get from smoking. But did you know that it can do damage to your skin as well?
If you live near Yuma, Tempe, or Tucson, Arizona, and you’re dealing with the cosmetic effects of smoking, you can get help from the experienced staff at Peach Skin & Laser. We offer the latest technology, methods, and specialists to help get your skin looking its best.
Let’s look at how smoking can affect your skin, what conditions it can cause, and what you can do to get help.
How does smoking affect your skin?
There are a multitude of dangerous substances in tobacco products, including mutagens (a chemical substance that can cause mutations in the body) and carcinogens (cancer-causing chemicals) that pose many dangers for the body.
Tobacco smoke causes what’s known as oxidative stress to the skin, meaning it disturbs the balance between free radicals and antioxidant defenses, resulting in insufficient oxygen in your skin. It is also theorized that smoking reduces the elasticity of your skin, narrows blood vessels, and reduces the amount of vitamin A, an essential nutrient for skin health.
What skin conditions can smoking cause?
Tobacco smoke causes things like tissue ischemia (lack of sufficient blood supply in tissue) and blood vessel blockage, which contributes to reduced immune responses and collagen production. This can lead to:
- Premature skin aging
- Wrinkles
- Skin pigmentation
- Impairment of wound healing
- Psoriasis
- Vasculitis (autoimmune disease where blood vessels become inflamed and narrow)
- Acne inversa (a skin disease where lesions develop in areas where skin rubs against itself, like armpits)
- Palmar telangiectasia (spider veins in the palms of your hands)
- Eczema
- Skin cancer
Smoking can also worsen existing skin conditions, like systemic lupus erythematosus, vascular skin conditions like rosacea, and oral conditions like cold sores.
How can you treat the effects that smoking has on your skin?
One of the best things you can do is to stop smoking. Quitting will reduce the amount of inflammation in your blood vessels that cause many of the skin conditions listed above. It will also help restore normal function of your heart, lungs, and overall blood circulation.
We also offer many laser skin treatments to care for many of the skin conditions smoking causes, like premature skin aging, wrinkles, and skin pigmentation. Our treatments help induce the production of collagen, which is a valuable protein your skin needs for elasticity and fullness.
Smoking is a difficult habit to break, but there are plenty of health benefits to be gained from quitting. When you’re ready to take that step, we’ll be ready to help your skin look its best. Make an appointment with Peach Skin & Laser today to get healthier skin.