smoking can ruin your looks in many ways. Smoking can cause premature aging of the skin, leading to wrinkles, fine lines, and age spots. It can also cause a dull, grayish complexion and make your skin look unhealthy.

Smoking can also cause skin damage by reducing blood flow to the skin and depriving it of oxygen and nutrients. This can result in a loss of elasticity and firmness, as well as an increased risk of developing skin cancer.

In addition to skin damage, smoking can also cause other physical changes that can affect your appearance, such as yellowing of the teeth and nails, and hair loss.

So, if you’re concerned about your looks, quitting smoking can be a great step in the right direction. Not only will it help you look better, but it will also improve your overall health and well-being.

There are no proven ways to reverse the clock, but there is one known way to look older than your years: start smoking. Smoking can change your appearance by altering your teeth, hair, and skin. Aside from your appearance, smoking weakens your heart, lungs, and bones; and reduces fertility. Look at these two photos. One of these identical twins is a smoker; the other is not. Can you spot the difference?

Smoking and non-smoking twins close-up.

Signs of a Tobacco Smoker

The twin on the right smoked for 14 years (a half-pack a day); her counterpart on the left is a nonsmoker. One of the characteristic signs is the looseness of the undereye skin, making her appear years older than her twin sister. This is one sign of skin damaged by smoking. The twin on the right further damaged her skin over time by repeated sun exposure.

A woman smoking.

Uneven Skin Tone

Uneven skin tone can be caused by a variety of factors, including sun exposure, genetics, hormonal changes, and skin injuries or inflammation. Here are a few tips to help improve uneven skin tone:

  1. Use sunscreen: Sun exposure can lead to dark spots and uneven skin tone, so using a broad-spectrum sunscreen with at least SPF 30 can help protect your skin and prevent further damage.
  2. Exfoliate regularly: Regular exfoliation can help remove dead skin cells and promote skin cell turnover, which can help improve the appearance of uneven skin tone.
  3. Use skincare products with brightening ingredients: Look for products that contain ingredients like vitamin C, niacinamide, and kojic acid, which can help brighten the skin and improve uneven skin tone.
  4. Stay hydrated: Drinking plenty of water can help keep your skin hydrated and improve its overall appearance.
  5. Consider professional treatments: If your uneven skin tone is severe, you may want to consider professional treatments like chemical peels, microdermabrasion, or laser therapy. These treatments can help improve skin texture and reduce the appearance of dark spots and other skin discolorations.

Remember, it’s important to be patient when trying to improve uneven skin tone, as it can take time for results to become visible. Additionally, it’s important to maintain a consistent skincare routine and protect your skin from further damage to help maintain your results.

A woman pinching skin.

Sagging Skin and Wrinkles

Tobacco smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals, many of which are carcinogenic (known to cause cancer). Others are known to damage collagen and elastin, two components of the skin. Even exposure to secondhand smoke can result in skin damage. Sagging of the skin and deeper wrinkles are two consequences.

A woman folding her arms.

Sagging Arms and Breasts

Smoking can affect the skin elsewhere on the body as well. Damage to elastin fibers can cause sagging and drooping. Vulnerable areas include the breasts and upper arms.

A woman with lines around her lips smoking.

Lines and Wrinkles Around the Lips

The damage to elastin in the skin is just one way that cigarette smoke affects the skin around the mouth. Another way is the development of wrinkles around the mouth from the act of smoking. These two factors together lead to early aging signs around the mouth.

Smoking and non-smoking twins showing difference in age spots.

Age Spots

This picture again shows identical twins, with half of the photo coming from each individual. The twin on the right had a long history of both smoking and sunbathing, in contrast to her sister. The difference is obvious. Age spots can develop in anyone after prolonged and repeated sun exposure, but studies suggest that smokers are more susceptible to the development of age spots.

Photo of damaged teeth from smoking.

Damaged Gums and Teeth

Yellow teeth are an obvious sign of smoking. But smokers experience other oral and dentals problems as well. Gum disease, bad breath, and tooth loss are all more common in people who smoke.

Smoke-stained fingers.

Stained Nails and Fingers

Tobacco stains the skin of the nails and hands. This can be a telltale sign of a chronic smoker. Fortunately, this discoloration usually fades after you have stopped smoking.

A balding man smoking.

Hair Loss

Smoking can worsen the natural process of hair thinning that occurs as we age. Some research shows that baldness is more common in men who smoke; studies from Taiwan show that male-pattern baldness risk increases in Asian men who smoke.

Cataracts of the eye.

Cataracts

Cataracts are opaque areas on the lens of the eye that interfere with vision. Effective treatment can mean that surgery is required. Smoking increases the likelihood that you will develop cataracts.

Woman with psoriasis on her elbows.

Psoriasis

Smokers also have an increased risk of getting psoriasis, an unsightly and often uncomfortable skin condition. Psoriasis is characterized by thick, scaly skin patches that are most commonly seen on the elbows, scalp, hands, back, or feet.

A man smoking with crow's feet and wrinkles.

Eye Wrinkles (Crow’s Feet)

The outside eye wrinkles affectionately termed “crow’s feet” develop earlier in smokers than in nonsmokers. These wrinkles also tend to be deeper in those who smoke. Squinting to keep smoke out of your eyes only worsens the tendency to develop wrinkles around the eyes. On top of all this, there is damage to the internal skin components because of the lack of nutrient and oxygen delivery to the skin.

An illustration of the skin.

Improve Your Looks By Quitting

After you quit smoking, blood flow improves. Consequently, your skin starts to receive more oxygen and begins to look healthier than before. Your teeth may get whiter and tobacco stains should disappear from your fingers and nails.

A man applying skin cream.

Battling Skin Damage: Creams

Any time you quit smoking, you’ve taken a healthy step toward resisting the signs of skin aging. Topical retinoids and antioxidants are among the products you can use to improve the appearance of your skin. Wearing sunscreen every time you are outdoors also helps prevent further damage.

A woman having laser therapy performed on her face.

Battling Skin Damage: Procedures

Some ex-smokers opt for cosmetic procedures to improve their damaged skin. Laser skin resurfacing and chemical peels can remove outer skin layers where damage is most obvious. Some doctors recommend that patients treat themselves to this type of procedure after quitting, suggesting that it provides strong motivation to stay tobacco-free.

An illustration of osteoporosis.

Brittle Bones

While the effects of smoking on the lungs are widely understood, it might surprise some smokers to know that they are also damaging their bones. Smoking raises the risk of osteoporosis and fractures. Fractures of the spine can cause an abnormal curvature and “hunchback” appearance.

A photo of coronary artery.

Heart Disease and ED

Narrowing of the coronary arteries of the heart is one of the most dangerous consequences of smoking. Since smoking also raises blood pressure and makes blood more likely to clot, the risk of a heart attack is dramatically increased. Smoking can also affect blood flow in other ways. Erectile dysfunction is one consequence of altered blood flow in men who smoke.

 Runners on a track being timed.

Reduced Athletic Ability

With all its effects on the heart and circulation, it’s obvious that smoking and athletics don’t mix. Increased shortness of breath and poor circulation aren’t going to boost athletic performance. Quitting smoking is one way to ensure performance improvement in any sport.

An ultrasound image of a baby.

Reproductive Issues

Not only do female smokers have a harder time conceiving, but their risk of problems in pregnancy also increases. Women who smoke have a greater than normal chance of miscarriage, premature birth, or having a baby with low birth weight.

A depressed woman smoking.

Early Menopause

Women who smoke also reach menopause earlier than women who don’t, according to researchers. Studies show that smokers reach menopause about 1 1/2 years earlier, on average, than nonsmokers. This is particularly true of women who smoked heavily for a long time.

Oral cancer.

Oral Cancer

Oral cancer risk is also elevated in people who smoke or use smokeless tobacco. Adding alcohol to the mix intensifies this risk; those who smoke and are heavy drinkers have a 15-fold increased risk of oral cancer. Oral cancer usually starts as a sore inside the mouth that won’t go away. Quitting smoking lowers the risk of oral cancer.

Illustration of cancerous lung.

Lung Cancer

Nine out of every 10 deaths from lung cancer are due to smoking, meaning that 90% of lung cancer deaths could be prevented. Smoking causes other lung problems, like emphysema, and increases the risk of contracting pneumonia.

Image of human lung.

How Quitting Improves Your Health

Blood pressure and heart rate reduce to normal levels within 20 minutes of stopping smoking! Heart attack risk begins to lower after the first 24 hours. Within the first weeks, the lungs begin to heal, and the tiny cilia (seen in this enlarged photo) start to rid the lungs of pollutants. Your risk of developing heart disease drops to half that of current smokers after just one year of quitting. After ten years, your risk of dying from lung cancer is the same as that of a nonsmoker.

A man smoking and shrouded in smoke.

Cigarette Stench

Quitting smoking has cosmetic effects, too. The smell of cigarettes is removed from your hair and clothes. Just the smell attached to a smoker can be harmful to others. Others can be exposed to the toxins that cause your hair and clothes to smell. This has been termed “third-hand smoke” and is believed to be particularly harmful to children.

A woman breaking a cigarette in half.

Can You Quit?

Of course, giving up any addiction is difficult, but quitting smoking is possible. There are more former smokers (48 million) than current smokers (45 million) in the US. This means that quitting has worked for 48 million people! Your doctor can help recommend medications and other quitting strategies to help you succeed.