Unfortunately,
The Aging Process Slows Down
When you stop smoking, vitamin C and collagen production returns to normal within months. Shallow, dynamic wrinkles may repair themselves. Skin coloration and a healthy glow returns, as improved circulation delivers oxygen and nutrients.
While there's no way to reverse scarring or lung damage that years of smoking can cause, there are things you can do to prevent further damage and improve your lung health.
That said, stopping smoking after 40 years is better than continuing to smoke for 45 or 50 years. It's never too late to quit and while your lungs may never heal completely, they will begin to get better once you stop smoking, even if you've been smoking your whole life.
Your lung functioning begins to improve after just 30 days without smoking. As your lungs heal from the damage, you will likely notice that you experience shortness of breath and cough less often than you did when you smoked.
Tobacco smoke contains thousands of toxic chemicals that can damage the cells of your skin and lead to signs of premature aging. Smoking can cause deeper wrinkles on the face, particularly between the eyebrows, around the eyes, and around the mouth and lips.
Superficial smoker's lines can easily—and instantly—be smoothed out with a hyaluronic acid-based filler such as Juvéderm Volbella or Restylane Silk. These injectables are the thinnest in their respective families, which makes them ideal for fine lines and areas with thin skin.
The nicotine and chemicals used in vaping can also cause skin ageing as the nicotine can cause the breakdown of collagen which helps to keep our skin firm and plump, which is why smokers and indeed those who vape often develop lines around the lips and have puffiness around their eyes."
So if you need another reason to quit smoking, add premature wrinkles to the list. Smoking can speed up the normal aging process of your skin, contributing to wrinkles and other changes to the appearance of your face.
Nicotine inhibits collagen synthesis and alkaline phosphatase activity, but stimulates DNA synthesis in osteoblast-like cells.
Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light.
Ultraviolet radiation, which speeds the natural aging process, is the primary cause of early wrinkling. Exposure to UV light breaks down your skin's connective tissue — collagen and elastin fibers, which lie in the deeper layer of skin (dermis).
Smoking reduces oxygen to the skin, which also decreases blood circulation, and that can result in weathered, wrinkled, older-looking skin, explains Dr. Bahman Guyuron, a plastic surgeon in Cleveland, Ohio, and the lead author of the study.
By comparing photos of identical twins, researchers from Case Western Reserve University confirmed that smoking leads to premature aging of the face, contributing to more wrinkles, droopy skin, jowls, and under-eye bags.
Regular use of coconut oil can help stimulate collagen production in the body thus reducing wrinkles. Research has shown that coconut oil has positive antioxidants that can help slow down the appearance of wrinkles and delay the aging process.
Try mixing coarse salt or sugar with almond oil or coconut oil and gently massaging the mixture into your lips once a day. You can also use a soft bristle brush or washcloth dipped in oil to exfoliate. Use a moisturizer or lip balm after each treatment. Shop for almond oil and coconut oil.
“Cumulative sun exposure over a lifetime has always been the main culprit of premature aging on the neck.” On top of that, our cell phone addictions aren't helping the cause. “Between sun exposure and the addition of looking at our phones repeatedly, we are seeing neck changes even earlier,” says Engelman.
When your body makes collagen, it combines amino acids — nutrients you get from eating protein-rich foods, like beef, chicken, fish, beans, eggs and dairy products. The process also requires vitamin C, zinc and copper. You can get vitamin C by eating citrus fruits, red and green peppers, tomatoes, broccoli and greens.
From around the age of 25 the first signs of aging start to become apparent on the surface of the skin. Fine lines appear first and wrinkles, a loss of volume and a loss of elasticity become noticeable over time. Our skin ages for a variety of different reasons.