5 Ways Smoking Ruins Your Looks

 

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Need another reason to give up smoking? Not only does smoking damage your insides, but it can also have a negative impact on your outer appearance. In other words, if you want to preserve your smoking hot looks, it could be time to pack in the cigarettes. Below are just five ways in which smoking can ruin your looks.

Pale skin

Smoking restricts blood flow to the skin, starving it of oxygen and important nutrients. This can result in a pale complexion. Skin also may become dry and possibly blotchy for some people. Fortunately, this is a side effect of smoking that is easily reversible by quitting smoking. After several months of giving up, many people see the color return to their cheeks as a result of blood being able to flow more freely again.

Facial wrinkles

Many smokers develop premature wrinkles on their face. This is a result of both heat from the smoke and chemicals inside the cigarette (these chemicals prevent the skin from developing collagen and elastin, causing skin to become saggy). Smokers are more likely to develop crows feet wrinkles, forehead wrinkles and eye bags before non-smokers. Many smokers also develop wrinkles around the lips from constantly sucking on a cigarette (many non-smokers never develop these wrinkles at all). Wrinkles cannot be reversed unless you seek out cosmetic surgery or fillers. It’s best to give up smoking before these wrinkles have a chance to set in.

Hair loss

Studies have shown that smokers are also more likely to experience hair thinning and baldness than non-smokers. In the same way that smoking prevents nutrients from reaching the skin, it also prevents nutrients from reaching our hair follicles. This prevents hair from growing healthily, making it thinner and more prone to falling out. If you want to increase the chance of keeping your hair into old age, quit smoking.

Bad teeth

You could find that smoking also affects your smile in the long run. Tar and nicotine found in cigarettes stains our teeth, causing them to go yellow. This yellowing can be prevented by brushing teeth thoroughly or by seeking out treatments such as removable veneers, however the best way to fight tooth discoloration is to quit smoking. On top of preventing teeth from getting stained, quitting smoking could also reduce your risk of developing gum disease and oral cancer. You also want to have to worry about your breath stinking of cigarettes.

Stained fingers

After smoking for many years, you may start to notice yellow stains on your fingers. These are nicotine stains and they can be quite hard to shift (you may have to use a file or pumice stone). Some people can even develop bumps on their fingers from holding a cigarette for years. On top of this, some people can develop yellow flaky fingernails (this is both a result of nicotine stains and restricted blood flow to nails). By giving up smoking, you can keep your fingers and nails looking pretty.

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