New Year! New You!
One of your first New Year resolutions should be to stop smoking. Smoking not only causes lung cancer, as well as cancers of the oral cavity, heart disease, emphysema and many other health problems, but causes premature aging as well. Smokers are 2-3X more likely to develop premature facial rhytids compared to non-smokers. The nicotine in cigarettes causes loss of elasticity by the constriction of the blood vessels. The actual physical motion of cigarette smoking causes squinting of the eyes, puckering of the lips causing premature wrinkles around the lips and eyes compared to people who do not smoke.
Smoking can affect your personal oral hygiene as well, causing bad breath, stained teeth and gums and a smokers tongue. Smokers tend to have more problems with periodontal disease.
In addition to premature aging and dental issues, smoking can cause psoriasis, belly fat, damaged hair, acne and stained fingers all affecting ones appearance. People who smoke tend to store fat around the waist and upper torso which can increase the risk of diabetes and heart disease.
New You!! By stopping smoking, one can reduce the likelihood of developing life threatening diseases and stop the ongoing damage to your appearance.