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If you smoke, you already know you need to quit. It's bad for your heart, lungs, brain, and even your sex life.
But you would have quit yesterday if the ill effects of smoking were a little more obvious. What if every cigarette created a black patch on your face, for example?
Well, smoking spoils your appearance. Read on to discover 10 kinds of smoking will ruin your appearance.
Bags under your eyes
Don't you hate it when you can't get a good night's sleep—and it shows on your face? According to a Johns Hopkins study, smokers are 4 times more likely to be unable to rest than nonsmokers.
Scaly skin
Scaly skin can happen to anyone, including non-smokers. But the risk of scaly skin will go up a lot for smokers.
According to a 2007 study, if you smoked one pack of cigarettes a day for 10 years or less, your risk of scaly skin increased by 20%, your 11-20 year old risk was 60% higher, and for those who smoked more than 20 years your risk increased by 50 %,(Even former smoking during pregnancy or childhood was associated with a higher risk.)
Yellow teeth
Do you not like white teeth? If you smoke please say goodbye to white teeth.
Premature aging and wrinkles
Experts agree that smoking accelerates aging, so smokers look 1.4 years older than nonsmokers, on average. Why the wrinkled face? Smoking blocks the blood supply that keeps skin tissue looking supple and healthy.
Yellow Finger
The nicotine in cigarette smoke can not only brown your teeth (and the walls of your house) but also yellow your fingers and nails.
Thin hair
Apart from wrinkled skin smoking also damages your hair too. According to experts, the toxic chemicals in smoke can damage the DNA in hair follicles and produce cell-damaging free radicals as well.
Smokers have thin hair that tends to gray and go bald faster than non-smokers. According to a 2007 study in Taiwan, male smokers are twice as fast as non-smokers going bald, in addition to genetic factors.
Scar
Nicotine causes vasoconstriction, the narrowing of blood vessels that can restrict the flow of oxygen-rich blood to blood vessels in the face or other parts of the body. This means your wound will take longer to heal and you will have a scar that is bigger and redder than a non-smoker.
Broken teeth
Smoking puts you at greater risk for all kinds of dental problems, including oral cancer and gum disease. In fact, according to a 2005 British study in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology, smokers are up to six times more likely than nonsmokers for gum disease, which can lead to tooth loss.
Loss of Natural Aura
Ever notice how smokers' skin sometimes seems to die? A 1985 study came up with the term Smoker's Face to describe certain facial characteristics, such as wrinkles, and the appearance of gray skin, caused by smoking.
Cigarette smoke contains carbon monoxide, which displaces oxygen in your skin, and nicotine, which reduces blood flow, leaving skin dry and discolored. Smoking also depletes many nutrients, including vitamin C, which helps protect and repair damaged skin.
Old wound healing
Experts found that smokers take longer to heal after surgery such as face-lifts, tooth extractions, and periodontal procedures.
