The nicotine in cigarette smoke causes vasoconstriction (blood vessel contraction). In addition, the carbon monoxide in cigarette smoke bonds with oxygen in the blood, restricting the amount of oxygen delivered to the body. BOTH nicotine and carbon monoxide not only constricts capillaries trying to carry oxygen, but also reduces the availability of oxygen to flow through them.
Smoking just one cigarette restricts blood flow for up to 90 minutes. During this 90-minute period, the amount of oxygen that is available to pass through the skin is dramatically reduced. If a person smokes more than one cigarette during these 90 minutes, then the time the skin goes without proper oxygenation is greatly increased.
The small, dilated blood vessels near the skin’s surface—usually present in a smoker’s skin are caused by the body desperately trying to get more blood to the skin by producing more vessels. On top of that, exposure to the pollutants present in cigarettes accelerates the degradation of the ECM by increasing MMP—specifically MMP-1—production, causing the unwanted breakdown of healthy and necessary skin components, such as collagen and elastin, leading to wrinkling and sagging.
When a smoker comes to me for anti-wrinkle treatments, I have to be realistic with them. If I decide to take on the client for treatment, it will be very frustrating for both of us. The smoking cycle must be broken in order to see real results.
Now, I’m not saying it’s impossible. I’m saying the results will take a painfully long time and treatments will have to be very very frequent. Last year I decided to perform treatments for a smoker with great results. We discussed the pros and cons and she was very understanding of how smoking will affect the outcome. She continued to smoke but she was very committed to her treatments. She came in for treatments every 7 days for 8 weeks. Most of the treatments I preformed were chemical peels combined with microdermabrasion. In just eight weeks, she received $600 worth of treatments and had great results. Her fine lines were gone, her tone evened out and people were finally complementing her on how amazing her skin looked.
I put her on a maintenance program of vitamin C serums, tocopherol and topical b vitamins. She did compromise somewhat by changing her diet which did have a great affect on her skin as well as her overall well-being.
If your a smoker serious about improving your skin, you can either quit smoking and get skin care treatments, or be ready to start some extensive skin care treatments.
Beauty isn’t the only reason to quit smoking but it sure is a great incentive.
*if you used to smoke, look for these ingredients: Aloe Vera in a liquid form, caper bud extract, Rose hip seed oil, and algae to strengthen your capillaries. (Glo remedy gel $20, Seaweed Clay Mask, PCA Skin Redness Releif).
Your Skin Looks Amazing! by Pearl Irigoyen 