Skincare tips to help your skin look its best - even when the paparazzi sees you at your worst

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Second-hand Smoke and Your Skin

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Second-hand Smoke and Your Skin - What it does
My boyfriend is a smoker and believe me, it bothers me. He tried to quit on multiple occasions but always falls back into the same routine and while it is his life, it does affect mine. I'm sure we've all heard about second-hand smoking and how dangerous it can be for our health. I know it causes premature wrinkles and can make your skin look dull, but I wanted to take it one step further and learn the biology (sort of) behind how smoking damages the skin.

Ever go clubbing and come back smelling like a pack of cigarettes? Smoke sticks to your clothing, hair and even skin and sometimes the smell takes a good couple washes before it's finally gone. And if it sticks that badly to hair and clothing, imagine the abuse our skin is taking.

Cigarettes are made up of over four thousand chemicals. One main poison that is used is formaldehyde, an adhesive that can be found in our everyday house-cleaning products. When formaldehyde is released into the air and is absorbed by our skin, it can cause skin rashes, promote scarring and make your skin smell (as noted above). Note: I will never overdose on cleaning products again.

Smoke damages the surface of your skin by changing the way skin cells move - it slows down the healing process. I've read somewhere that there is a certain amount of days when we can help promote skin healing and reduce the scar intensity before it leaves a deep scar. If the healing process slows down, the amount of healing days will be reduced and your skin is more susceptible to deep scars that will take longer to fade away.

Smoke also breaks down collagen and elastin (which are fibers that give your skin its strength and elasticity) and does not allow blood vessels to deliver enough oxygen and nutrients to the skin's surface. This will therefore create premature wrinkles and a dull looking complexion. In a nut shell, oxygen helps cleanse the body and if the amount of oxygen is reduced, more filth will remain in your body.

And while I'll keep pushing my boyfriend to stop smoking, know that there is no glamour in smoking. No one wants to look ten years older than they really are.

4 comments:

John said...

Great information, thanks!

Jae said...

Glad it helped out!

vanilla said...

yeah geeezz i hate it when ppl smoke next tom me and doesnt care if i mind or not!

btw yeah once i wrote down my CORRECT cellphone number in a uni form and they keep calling even they keep asking why me n my parents cudnt come to their event,and he sounds like he knew i was lying and i can hear from his tone,he was trying to trick me.i tried to be nice but i cant help it anymore,and i was like,HEY IM JUST NOT INTERESTED OKAY??they never call me back anymore
hehehe

Jae said...

Vanilla, sounds like I should do the same! Goodness, they should know that this isn't how you get students to enroll at your school!!!

About Paparazzi Skin

A blog that explores skincare and the truth behind product claims.

I am not a dermatologist nor do I claim to be. I extract information from books and the internet that I believe will help educate readers and myself about skincare.


From time to time I will do makeup-related posts.

Email
paparazziskin [@] gmail . com

Toronto, Ont., Canada

Skincare Books

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Beautiful Skin
by Marsha Gorden and Alice E. Fugate



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