News: Smoking affects skin all over bodyNew study, published in Archives of Dermatology, suggests that smoking affects the skin all over the body - even skin protected from the sun by clothes.
The researchers tested 82 smokers and non-smokers by taking
pictures of the inner right arms. Next, blinded dermatologists judged
the degree of wrinkling of the skin. The researchers found that the
degree of wrinkling of the skin was significantly correlated with the
total numbers of cigarettes per day and the total years the person has
smoked.
Many smokers will develop the so-called 'Smoker's
face', which is characterised by early aging of the skin with
deep wrinkles around the eyes and mouth. The cause is believed to be a
lack of oxygen to the skin as smoking reduces the circulation of the
blood.
The new study shows that early aging of the skin is not limited to face and hands.
Reference: Helfrich, Y.R., Le Yu et al. Effect of smoking on Aging of photoprotected skin. Archives of Dermatology. 2007;143:397-402. |