- With Mayo Clinic internist and director of the Nicotine Dependence Center
Richard D. Hurt, M.D.
Quit smoking basics (5)
- Smoking: Does it cause wrinkles?
- What is 'third-hand' smoke?
- Cigar smoking: Safer than cigarette smoking?
- see all in Quit smoking basics
Quit-smoking action plan (2)
- Nicotine patch: Any harm in long-term use?
- Lobelia supplements: Can they curb nicotine cravings?
Living smoke-free (2)
- I quit smoking: Why am I still coughing?
- Quit smoking, gain weight: Is it inevitable?
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Question
Smoking: Does it cause wrinkles?
Is it true that smoking causes wrinkles?
Answer
from Richard D. Hurt, M.D.
Yes. So if you need another reason to motivate you to quit smoking, add premature wrinkles to the list.
Smoking can speed up the normal aging process of your skin, contributing to wrinkles. These skin changes may occur after only 10 years of smoking. The more cigarettes you smoke and the longer you smoke, the more skin wrinkling you're likely to have — even though the early skin damage from smoking may be hard for you to see.
And smoking doesn't cause wrinkles only on your face. Smoking also is associated with increased wrinkling and skin damage on other parts of your body, including your inner arms.
While the skin wrinkles may not be reversible, you can prevent worsening of wrinkling by quitting smoking now.
How does smoking lead to wrinkles? The nicotine in cigarettes causes narrowing of the blood vessels in the outermost layers of your skin. This impairs blood flow to your skin. With less blood flow, your skin doesn't get as much oxygen and important nutrients, such as vitamin A. Many of the over 4,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke also damage collagen and elastin, which are fibers that give your skin its strength and elasticity. As a result, skin begins to sag and wrinkle prematurely because of smoking.
In addition, repeated exposure to the heat from burning cigarettes and the facial expressions you make when smoking — such as pursing your lips when inhaling and squinting your eyes to keep out smoke — may contribute to wrinkles.
Next questionWhat is 'third-hand' smoke?
- Helfrich YR, et al. Effect of smoking on age of photoprotected skin. Archives of Dermatology. 2007;143:397.
- Doshi DN, et al. Smoking and skin aging in identical twins. Archives of Dermatology. 2007;143:1543.
- Koh JS, et al. Cigarette smoking associated with premature facial wrinkling: Image analysis of facial skin replicas. International Journal of Dermatology. 2002;41:21.
- Hurt RD (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic. Rochester, Minn. Aug. 11, 2009.
