A Wrinkle I Didn’t Anticipate
I’d like to have cosmetic surgery–if only it was in the budget. I developed rosacea about ten years ago, which I’m pretty self-conscious about. And I have signs of my 52 years that I’m not at all happy with. My smoking could well have been a factor.
Smoker’s Face
A physician in Britain actually came up with the name, “Smoker’s Face” to describe patients with those telltale symptoms of a long-time smoker–dry, papery, droopy skin, deep wrinkles radiating from the eyes or mouth and sallow skin tones. In fact, the clever Dr. Douglas Model did his own study, identifying which clinic patients were smokers by facial appearance alone. He found it easy to spot people who had smoked for 10 years and more.
Toxic Adventure
It seems all those toxins we inhale when we smoke, such as nicotine and carbon monoxide, constrict the blood vessels which reduces the healthy flow of blood to our skin. Additionally, enzymes produced when we smoke impede our ability to produce collagen, the protein that keeps our skin elastic and strong.
Smoking also increases our risk getting psoriasis or of dying from skin cancer.
I wish I’d believed it earlier. Either I’d have quit smoking or saved up for the plastic surgeon.
