The effects smoking on the skin (4)

After exposure to sunlight smoking is the next most damaging thing you can do to your skin. First the nicotine in cigarettes constricts the blood vessels of the face, making your skin sallow.

There is also an ingredient called acetaldehyde which goes to work attacking the fibers in your skin that hold it together, finally causing the destruction of collagen and elastin. Add to this the constant creasing and wrinkling of the eyes due to smoke irritation and the pursing of the lips as you inhale and it is easy to see why the average smoker looks 10 years older than a non-smoker of the same age.