HOW DOES TOBACCO AFFECT YOUR SKIN?

SKIN TONE

• Uneven coloring
• Grey or orange complexion
• Pale

SAGGING SKIN

• Degrades the building blocks of the skin which causes sagging.

STAINED FINGERS

• Stains on fingernails and skin

PREMATURE SKIN AGEING

• Can increase the skin ageing process
• By the age 70 years, smoking 30 cigarettes a day could lead to the equivalent of an extra 14 years of skin ageing.
• Develops wrinkles & lines & become dry or coarse with broken blood vessels

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• Studies have shown that smoking results in more premature facial wrinkling than sun exposure.
• Lines around the eyes called "crow's feet" can develop at an earlier age.
• Multiple vertical lines around the mouth also occur & are called "smoker's lines".

WOUND HEALING

• Delays wound healing, such as skin injuries and surgical wounds
• Increases risk of wound infection, graft or flap failure, death of tissue & blood clot formation.

SKIN CANCER

• If you smoke, you have twice the risk of developing skin cancer.
• Squamous cell carcinoma

PSORIASIS

• (Scaly skin condition)
• Tends to be more severe in smokers
• If you smoke, you have a higher risk of getting it.
• Immune- mediated condition
• Nicotine binds to immune cells called dendritic cells & T-Cells & may change their function to promote proliferation of skin cells.

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• Nicotine also binds to keratinocytes directly & helps them divide faster & move upward towards the skin surface.
• Types: psoriasis, chronic plaque psoriasis, localised psoriasis

LOCALISED PSORIASIS

• A type of localised psoriasis is palmoplantar pustulosis
• Much more common in smokers
• Multiple yellow or brown painful pus-containing lesions on the palms & soles

HIDRADENITIS SUPPURATIVA

• Also called acne inversa
• Occurs more frequently in smokers
• Develop in the armpits
• It is worse than ordinary acne.

Cutaneous lupus erythematosus

• Scaly red lesions that can leave scars
• The reason for this is because smoking increases autoimmune activity by activating white blood cells.

CITED SOURCES

• webmd.com
• dermnetnz.org