Issue link: https://www.ascpskindeepdigital.com/i/108113
wellness Smoking and Skin Health What are cigarettes doing to smokers' looks? by Shelley Burns During a break at a conference recently, I walked outside and was immediately struck by the number of people smoking. In the united States, 21 percent of men and 17 percent of women smoke cigarettes.1 Certainly everyone knows the medical risks of smoking, but one aspect that is not often discussed is its effect on the smoker's skin. To put it bluntly, smoking means frightful skin. There are many chemicals in cigarette smoke that affect the skin's resilience, including ammonia, cadmium, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide, lead, mercury, nicotine, and tar. This dangerous cocktail reduces blood flow and the circulation of oxygen, and breaks down collagen and elastin. Skin becomes drier and more fragile, and poor wound healing is common. Signs normally associated with aging, including discoloration, sagging, and wrinkles, are the result. The physical actions of smoking also have an effect. Smokers purse their lips to inhale, and squint to prevent smoke from getting into their eyes. This results in crow's feet around the eyes and deep lines around the lips. The combination is instantly recognizable to many estheticians as the "smoker's face." Cigarette smoke is phototoxic, meaning it becomes more toxic when combined with ultraviolet (UV) light. In one study, smokers who also had high rates of UV exposure had more skin damage than the effects each individual hazard would normally add up to.2 There is some evidence that women are more susceptible than men to the aging effects of smoking, though the reasons have not yet been explored. And, in both women and men, smoking is linked to an increased risk of skin disorders, including basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and psoriasis. No matter how many years a person has smoked, quitting has a significant effect on his or her health. Twenty minutes after the last cigarette, the heart rate and blood pressure begin to decrease. After eight hours, nicotine in the body has reduced by 90 percent. After one full day, the lungs begin to clear. One week after quitting, antioxidant levels and cognitive ability have both increased, and nicotine stains on the fingers begin to fade. While it's outside an esthetician's scope of practice to advise clients on their general health, you can educate them about the impact of lifestyle choices on their skin. Tactfully mentioning to a client that her skin is being affected by cigarette smoke may be the small nudge that encourages her to quit. Shelley Burns, a doctor of naturopathic medicine, completed studies at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine, and has certification in complementary and integrative medicine from Harvard University. She can be reached at the Scienta Health Centre at 416-222-5880 or shelley.burns@executivehealthcentre.com. NOTE 1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Adult Cigarette Smoking in the United States: Current Estimate," accessed December 2012, www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_ sheets/adult_data/cig_smoking/. 2. A. Morita, T. Tsuji, and L. Yin, "Skin Aging Induced by Ultraviolet Exposure and Tobacco Smoking," Photodermatology, Photoimmunology, and Photomedicine 17, no. 4 (2001): 178–83. Smoking Cessation Tips 1. Set a quit date and explore why you want to quit. 2. Don't go cold turkey. Instead, gradually reduce the amount you smoke. 3. Identify your support system (coworkers, family, friends, and/or an outside support group) and let these people help motivate you. 4. It is not uncommon for smokers to reach for a cigarette when under stress. Manage your stress levels and try stress reduction tools such as massage. 5. Take up walking, jogging, or another healthy habit to replace unhealthy behavior. 6. Keep lots of celery and carrots on hand. These can help with cravings. 7. Daily or weekly, put aside the money you would have spent on cigarettes and reward yourself with a gift. Get connected to your peers @ www.skincareprofessionals.com 9