We start when we’re young because it’s cool. It’s grownup, sophisticated — and our skin still has that peaches and cream glow of youth. In our 30s, when metabolism slows down, we learn that smoking speeds it up again so we smoke to stay thin (cancer is something we’ll worry about only when we’re older).
What we don’t appreciate — yet — is what cigarette smoke does to our skin. Specialist dermatologist Dr Ncoza Dlova says a long history and increased number of cigarettes smoked per day is associated with a fourfold risk of wrinkles. More startling, is the news that even passive smokers are at risk of early ageing if they are exposed to second-hand smoke.
The term “smokers’ skin” found its way into the medical dictionary some 22 years ago, but with all the emphasis on lung cancer it’s been largely ignored, yet if you look around, you’d recognise it instantly: that dry, coarse, yellowish, wrinkled look, enlarged pores and a dull complexion. And the bad news, says research by Clinique Laboratories in the UK, is that you can get smoker’s skin even if you don’t smoke!
HOW THE DAMAGE IS DONE
Smoke triggers oxidation, the same chemical reaction that rusts iron or turns banana slices brown. When the toxic substances in cigarette smoke come into contact with our skin’s surface they oxidise the proteins and lipids that make up the skin’s outer barrier.
And, it goes deeper. These toxic substances can actually penetrate this outer barrier oxidising the living cells beneath, causing further serious damage.
New laboratory research shows that cigarette smoke damage can extend into the epidermis and the dermis, and even into the DNA within the skin cell’s nucleus. Compounding the problem is the fact that a barrier weakened by oxidation leaves the skin vulnerable and susceptible to even more toxins from smoke.
WHAT’S THAT ABOUT DNA
Cigarette smoke contains a complex mixture of more than 3 000 chemicals, many of them toxic. The harmful substances in smoke set off chain reactions of oxygenbased free radicals that attack skin cells and oxidise their essential components, including DNA. This damage can cause cell malfunctions and a consequent reduction in skin’s elastin and collagen supports. Eventually, this damage will surface as wrinkles, lines, discoloration and more serious skin problems.
When our skin’s DNA (the brain of the cell) is damaged, it cannot function.
UH OH, AND THEN THERE’S UV
Unless they’re eliminated by your immune system, DNA-damaged cells can replicate, which means that eventually damaged cells may supplant healthy cells, making skin more vulnerable to UV-induced damage and disturbances.
When “smoker’s skin” is exposed to ultra-violet rays, the reduction in immune system activity further compromises its ability to eliminate damaged cells. Having a strong immune system is especially important for skin that’s exposed to smoke. Aside from quitting, the most sensible strategy would be to avoid sun exposure or step-up UV protection.
IF I QUIT NOW
Is the damage to your skin reversible if you quit
With regards to collagen-producing cells, it depends on how long you’ve been smoking and how deep the damage goes. After one or two months, fast-renewing, generalised epidermal cells that reach the surface will be free of smoke-related damage. However, even in this short space of time, specialised cells responsible for producing collagen that heals wounds and repairs tissue are slow to renew and repair may be uneven.
Two adverse effects of second-hand smoke is poor tissue repair and abnormal scarring. A research study showed that after exposure to second-hand smoke, fewer collagen-producing cells arrived at the site of a cut, and those that did reach the wound, accumulated on the sides forming scars, rather than closing it.
DNA damage can be repaired because skin is “born” with its own cellular repair systems. Researchers are currently looking at ways to alert our skin’s inborn repair systems to produce the natural enzymes needed to rebuild DNA damaged by smoke, UV and other oxidative stressors.
YOUR BEST REPAIR STRATEGY
>Reduce oxidative stressors like UV exposure, fi rst- and second-hand smoke, psychological stress, excess sugars and alcohol.
>Use barrier restoratives like shea butter, ceramides and essential fatty acids.
>Apply topical antioxidants like vitamin C, green tea, rosemarinic acid, resveratrol (found in red wine).
diagnosis: “smokers’ skin”
symptom
Yellowish, coarse complexion
Dehydration
Chronic irritation that can lead to premature skin ageing
Wrinkles and lines around mouth and eyes
Slower tissue repair
cause
Nicotine and other smoke substances discolour surface; oxidise skin’s barrier lipids, disrupting the barrier and allowing irritants and sensitisers to penetrate.
With a weakened barrier, skin loses more water.
Smoke oxidises skin cells and breaks down collagen.
Repetitive motions of smoking/squinting at smoke, coupled with smoke damage to skin’s collagen supports and repair systems.
Oxidation damages collagen-producing cells.
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