Smoking Effects - How Smoking Affects Your Looks and Life Slideshow:

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Which Twin Is the Smoker?

Maybe there is no fountain of youth, but there is a surefire way to
make yourself look older. Smoking changes the skin, teeth, and hair in
ways that can add years to your looks. It also affects everything from
your fertility to the strength of your heart, lungs, and bones. Take a
look at these side-by-side photos. Can you pick out the smoker? Check
your pick and get a closer look on the next slide.



Tobacco's Tell-Tale Signs

Twin B smoked half a pack a day for 14 years, while her sister never
smoked. The loose skin under her eyes is typical for smokers, according
to Bahman Guyuron, MD, of Case Western Reserve University. It's one of
several visible signs -- shown on the following slides -- that tobacco
byproducts inside your body are harming your appearance. Twin B also got
more sun, damaging her skin from the outside, too.



Poor Skin Tone

Smoking chronically deprives the skin of oxygen and nutrients. So
some smokers appear pale, while others develop uneven coloring. These
changes can begin at a young age, according to dermatologist Jonette
Keri, MD, of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. "In
young nonsmokers, we don't usually see a lot of uneven skin tone," Keri
says. "But this develops more quickly in people who smoke."



Sagging Skin

There are more than 4,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke, and many of
them trigger the destruction of collagen and elastin. These are the
fibers that give your skin its strength and elasticity. Smoking or even
being around secondhand smoke "degrades the building blocks of the
skin," Keri says. The consequences include sagging skin and deeper
wrinkles.



Sagging Arms and Breasts

Smoking doesn't only damage the appearance of your face, it can also
take a toll on your figure. As skin loses its elasticity, parts that
were once firm may begin to droop. This includes the inner arms and
breasts. Researchers have identified smoking as a top cause of sagging
breasts.



Lines Around the Lips

Smoking delivers a one-two punch to the area around your mouth.
First, you have the smoker's pucker. "Smokers use certain muscles around
their lips that cause them to have dynamic wrinkles that nonsmokers do
not," Keri says. Second, you have the loss of elasticity. Together,
these factors can lead to deep lines around the lips.



Age Spots

Age spots are blotches of darker skin color that are common on the
face and hands. While anyone can develop these spots from spending too
much time in the sun, research suggests smokers are more susceptible.
In this image, the twin on the right spent decades smoking and sunbathing, while her sister did not



Damaged Teeth and Gums

Yellow teeth are one of the most notorious effects of long-term
smoking, but the dental damage doesn't stop there. People who smoke tend
to develop gum disease, persistent bad breath, and other oral hygiene
problems. Smokers are twice as likely to lose teeth as nonsmokers.



Stained Fingers

Think your hand looks sexy with a cigarette perched between your
fingers? If you've been smoking for awhile, take a good look at your
fingernails and the skin of your hands. Tobacco can actually stain the
skin and nails, as well as the teeth. The good news is these stains tend
to fade when you quit smoking.



Hair Loss

Both men and women tend to develop thinner hair as they age, and
smoking can accelerate this process. Some studies even suggest people
who smoke are more likely to go bald. Researchers in Taiwan have
identified smoking as a clear risk factor for male-pattern baldness in
Asian men



Cataracts

Even the eyes are vulnerable to tobacco's reach. Smoking makes you
more likely to develop cataracts as you age. These are cloudy areas on
the lens of the eye that keep light from reaching the retina. If they
cause serious vision problems, they are treated with surgery

.

Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a chronic condition that most often causes thick, scaly
patches on the skin – usually on the knees, elbows, scalp, hands, feet,
or back. The patches may be white, red, or silver. Recent studies
suggest smokers have a greater risk of developing psoriasis.



Crow's Feet Eye Wrinkles

Everyone gets wrinkles on the outside of the eyes eventually, but
these wrinkles develop earlier and go deeper among smokers. Heat from
burning cigarettes and squinting to keep smoke out of your eyes
contribute to visible crow's feet. Meanwhile, chemicals from inhaled
tobacco cause internal damage to the skin structures and blood vessels
around your eyes.



How Quitting Improves Your Looks

Quitting smoking can improve your appearance. As blood flow gets
better, your skin receives more oxygen and nutrients. This can help you
develop a healthier complexion. If you stay tobacco-free, the stains on
your fingers and nails will disappear. You may even notice your teeth
getting whiter.



Combating Skin Damage: Creams

When you quit smoking, you make your skin more resistant to premature
aging. As for the wrinkles and age spots you already have, all is not
lost. Keri, the University of Miami dermatologist, says there are
products former smokers can use to make their skin look better. These
include topical retinoids and antioxidants, such as vitamins C and E.
She also recommends wearing sunscreen every day.



Combating Skin Damage: Procedures

For more dramatic results, some former smokers choose to have
cosmetic procedures. Laser skin resurfacing and chemical peels remove
outer layers of skin, where the damage is most visible. "Reward yourself
with a couple of skin treatments," Keri suggests. "When you see the
benefits of better-looking skin, you may be motivated to stay
nicotine-free."



Brittle Bones

Everyone knows the lungs take a beating from smoking, but research
has pinpointed additional, surprising ways that tobacco affects the
body, starting with your bones. Smoking raises your risk of developing
weakened bones, or osteoporosis. This condition increases your risk for
bone fractures including those of the spine, causing it to curve and
leaving you hunched over.



Heart Disease and ED

Smoking affects nearly every organ in the body, including the heart.
In people who smoke, the arteries that carry blood to the heart become
narrowed over time. Smoking also increases blood pressure and makes it
easier for blood to clot. These factors raise the odds of having a heart
attack. In men who smoke, reduced blood flow can lead to erectile
dysfunction.



Reduced Athletic Ability

Smoking's impact on the heart and lungs can add up to a significant
disadvantage on the track or field. Smokers tend to have a more rapid
heart rate, poorer circulation, and more shortness of breath – not
helpful qualities in an athlete. Whatever your favorite sport, one way
to enhance your performance is to quit smoking



Reproductive Problems

Women who smoke have a tougher time getting pregnant and giving birth
to a healthy baby. Cigarettes have been linked to fertility problems.
And smoking during pregnancy raises the odds of having a miscarriage,
premature birth, or delivering a low-birth-weight infant.



Early Menopause

It's something all women have in common: menopause, the phase when
female hormones decline and the menstrual cycle stops for good. Most
women experience this change around age 50. But smokers reach menopause
an average of 1 1/2 years earlier than women who don't smoke. The effect
is strongest in women who have smoked heavily for many years.



Oral Cancer

Compared to nonsmokers, people who smoke or use smokeless tobacco
products are more likely to develop oral cancer. Smokers who are also
heavy drinkers are 15 times more likely to develop this form of cancer.
The most common symptoms include a sore patch on the tongue, lips, gums,
or other area inside the mouth that doesn't go away and may be painful.
Quitting smoking lowers the risk for oral cancer substantially within a
few years.



Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is the top cancer killer of men and women in the U.S. Of
those who die from the disease, 9 out of 10 deaths are due to smoking.
Cigarettes can also damage the lungs in other ways, making people more
vulnerable to breathing problems and dangerous infections like
pneumonia.



How Quitting Improves Your Health

In just 20 minutes, blood pressure and heart rate return to normal.
Within 24 hours, your heart attack risk begins falling. In the first
weeks after quitting, tiny cilia (seen here) start back to work sweeping
irritants out of the lungs. Within a year, your risk of developing
heart disease drops to half that of people who still smoke. And after 10
smoke-free years, you're no more likely to die of lung cancer than
someone who never smoked.



Cigarette Stench

Quitting eliminates the pervasive smell of cigarettes on your breath
and in your hair and clothes. This is unattractive to nonsmokers and
carries health hazards, too. The odor means that the people around you
are exposed to tobacco toxins, sometimes called "third-hand smoke."
These toxins can be especially harmful to small children.



Can You Quit?

Experts agree that giving up cigarettes is very difficult. But if
you're telling yourself it's impossible, think again. While there are 45
million smokers in the U.S., there are at least 48 million former
smokers. If 48 million people could quit, it is doable. Just keep in
mind that most people have to try more than once, and only 4%-7% succeed
without help. Ask your doctor which smoking-cessation strategies might
be right for you.