What is your opinion on this?  Do you think that smoking can actually cause wrinkles or do you think this is just an anti smoking wives tale made up to get people to stop smoking?  Well, according to magazine advertisements from the 1920’s through the 1940’s smoking was claimed to have calmed nerves, reduced jaundice, and even give a healthy glow and smooth skin – yes, back then big tobacco was so powerful they could say what ever they wanted and get away with it even though they knew they were wrong – dead wrong.

Smoking is very bad for you in every way.  It causes heart problems, lung problems, and even skin problems.  Smoking has been proven in numerous studies by researchers from Harvard medical school to the renowned Mayo clinic and found to be one of the most destructive habits for ones skin.  It causes dry skin, wrinkles, etc… by constricting blood vessels throughout the body and reducing blood flow to the skin.  This restriction in blood flow leads to a build up of oxidant (skin damaging free radicals) and waste products which over time weaken and age the skin.

This loss of blood flow and weakening of the skin causes loss of elasticity and makes it more prone to injury.  Smoking damages the collagen and elastin which give the skin its structure and strength.  Collagen production is reduced and the skin will start to wrinkle and produce fine lines in areas of the upper lip, forehead, around the eyes, etc…  This is how crows feet and fine lines form.  Yes the puckering motion a smoker makes when they take repeated drags off their cigarettes for years will also cause fine lines in the upper lip by itself just as frowning can cause forehead wrinkles, but the direct impact from the smoking on the skin by damaging and weakening it actually dries out the skin and makes it more susceptible to wrinkles.

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As we age our skin starts to lose its elasticity and rigidity in a more natural way.  With smokers it happens much earlier.  Smoking can literally add 10 to 15 years or more to the age of your skin.  Most people can tell a smoker by their raspy voice, yellow stained fingers, and smelly clothes, but did you know you can also tell by their face and hands?  Just look at their hands and they will look years older.  Look at their face.  Does it look like the beautiful pin up girls they used for magazine ads in the 40’s?  No, not at all, actually they interviewed one of these ladies that did the magazine ads not too long ago and she wished she had never smoked.  She had cancer of the esophagus and looked terrible.

Bottom line, smoking does cause one to look older.  It does cause wrinkles to form earlier and it does cause permanent damage to the skin and body.  But research has also shown that the body has a remarkable ability to reverse some of this damage.  If one were to quit smoking today within a week or so they would be breathing clearer and better and their blood pressure would start to drop back to normal.  Within a few weeks their skin and organs would be functioning better and their risks of heart problems would drop.  According to the American Cancer Society, within 2 years their chances of having a heart attack or stroke would be almost back down to everyone else.  So if you smoke, quit.  Regardless of whether the reason is to stop the wrinkles, look younger or have a healthy heart and live longer, the sooner you quit the better you will feel and look.