It’s a well-known fact that smoking can take a toll on your health and well-being, but can it also negatively impact your appearance? In a recent 2020 article, the Mayo Clinic confirmed that smoking can lead to premature aging and wrinkled skin. Below, we’ll answer some common questions about the effects smoking has on your face while also providing a few excellent solutions for improving your look.
Does smoking make you look older?
Yes, nicotine narrows the blood vessels in the outer skin layers, reducing oxygen delivery to your tissues. It can also diminish one’s natural supply of collagen and elastin, vital proteins responsible for skin suppleness and resilience. Lastly, smoking requires repetitive pursing of the lips, which can leave behind entrenched lines and creases.
What lines and wrinkles are worsened by smoking?
While smoking can diminish skin quality and trigger volume loss, it can be especially effective at creating wrinkles and lines in the forehead, between the brows, around and across the lips, in the cheeks, and beneath the eyes.
Will wrinkles go away after quitting smoking?
Unfortunately, quitting smoking alone may not be enough to restore a healthy, luminous complexion. Wrinkles may remain imprinted on the skin, necessitating a cosmetic intervention.
What options, other than not smoking, are available to improve wrinkles?
Luckily for smokers, there are a variety of treatment modalities to choose from when a patient wishes to counteract the damage done through smoking. First, it’s essential to use high-quality, medical-grade skincare products that help cleanse, exfoliate, nourish, and protect the complexion. Your plastic surgeon can prescribe these products on a case-by-case basis after thoroughly evaluating your skin and listening to your concerns.
Microneedling can also be an excellent solution for treating smokers’ lines. The treatment stimulates the body’s natural healing mechanism through micro-wounds that signal the system to regenerate collagen, smoothing the skin from within. Laser resurfacing can also help remove the outermost damaged skin layer, revealing clearer, more radiant skin beneath. Lastly, BOTOX and dermal fillers can be used to reverse many of the most prominent skin creases, creating a more well-rested and welcoming appearance.
What is the takeaway?
For smokers, it can sometimes be difficult to quit when the damage to the body remains on the inside, hidden from view. Seeing the cosmetic results of years of smoking can be a highly motivating experience, however, especially when the lines, creases, and wrinkles that form make you look older than your chronological age.
An exceptional plastic surgeon will have a wealth of solutions ready to help rejuvenate your skin and provide you with a more youthful, attractive glow that telegraphs a healthy body. From BOTOX and facial fillers to microneedling, laser therapy, and medical-grade skincare lines, Dr. Weber can provide a personalized treatment plan for reducing the signs of aging and revitalizing your self-image and self-confidence.