Be more beautiful, stop smoking

By  |  0 Comments

Let’s face it, the above title will have grabbed most people’s attention with its first half rather than its second. However, since you’ve managed to fight that slight glazing-over that often happens when people tell you to do something you know you should but don’t want to do, let’s make the most of it.

Why quitting will make you look better

It’ll stop premature ageing

Smoking reduces the blood supply to our skin, so it’s less likely to look soft, firm and glowing, and more likely to look saggy, dull and creased.

You won’t have yellow fingers

Never a good look. Besides, yellow clashes with this season’s latest nude nail polish shades, so ditch it and work the sweet and natural look.

You’ll get your glow back

Smoker’s Face is a real thing! Doctors use it to describe the accelerated wrinkling and sallow colour that characterises the complexion of someone who smokes. Quit and your glow will return.

What you can avoid by quitting

When you’re a smoker, you increase your risk of getting various conditions. Here’s a run-thorough of just a few of the ones you can see:

Psoriasis – this skin disease has no cure and is a challenge to keep under control. It looks red, patchy, scaly and generally unsightly. Think about how much you spend on primers, foundations, highlighters and fake tans to get a gorgeous glow on your face and body – why would you want to risk swapping that for painful red and white patches?

Gum disease – this can lead to tooth loss. Ever had one of those scary dreams where your teeth fall out? Don’t give this nightmare a hand to become reality.

Scarring – If you have an accident or undergo surgery, being a smoker can increase your risk of scarring. This is because it constricts blood vessels, which in turn prevents oxygen getting to the wound as easily as it normally would.

Thinner hair – The chemicals in smoke can damage the DNA in hair follicles, they can also create free-radicals that damage hair too. There’s only so much that volume-boosting shampoos and mousses can do, so avoid smoking-related hair thinning at all costs.    

How can you stop?

It’s not easy, but there’s help out there to stop smoking. You could try a quit-smoking product – the Mayo Clinic says that only around 5 per cent of people who try to quit succeed without a quit-smoking product. Why not take a look at what’s available and see which product could suit your lifestyle?

What you need to know:

  • Some quit-smoking products contain small amounts of nicotine. You can also get prescription medications without nicotine. Both types can help reduce nicotine cravings and withdrawal symptoms too.
  • The Mayo Clinic advises you to consult your doctor before you try quit-smoking products, so you can explore which products – or combinations of products – may be right for you.

It’s never too late

According to medical information site Patient, if you’ve smoked since you were a teenager or a young adult, and stop before the age of around 35, your life expectancy is only slightly less than it is for people who have never smoked before. If you stop before you turn 50, your risk of dying from smoking-related diseases drops by 50 per cent.

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply