For many people who smoke, a lot of their lives will be spent deciding whether or not they should quit. There are heaps of reasons to choose from, including financial and health-related reasons, but it’s always helpful to hear additional potential benefits to quitting, or even switching to an alternative such as an elf bar to get rid of the tobacco negatives of traditional smoking. 

Smoking is well known for having numerous negative effects on your health, but did you know that quitting smoking can also have some surprising benefits for your skin? Here are just some of those benefits, to help you decide whether now is the moment for your to quit or not.

Improved skin tone

Smoking can make your skin appear dull and slightly sallow, due to the constriction of blood vessels in the skin. However, when you quit smoking, an effect that you’ll experience within days is that blood flow to your skin improves, eventually resulting in a brighter, more vibrant skin complexion.

Fewer wrinkles

In addition to damaging your skin tone, smoking can cause premature ageing of the skin as a result of ingesting the toxins in cigarette smoke. This tends to result in fine lines and wrinkles appearing much earlier than they would in non-smokers. However, quitting smoking can slow down this ageing process, and can often even help to reduce the appearance of existing fine lines and wrinkles.

Reduced acne

Smoking can exacerbate acne, by clogging pores, reducing blood circulation, and making the skin more prone to breakouts. Quitting smoking can help to reduce inflammation in the skin, which can often help to decrease the prevalence of acne.

Improved skin elasticity

Another destructive effect of smoking is that it can damage collagen and elastin in the skin, resulting in sagging and premature ageing. Quitting smoking can help to improve collagen and elastin production, resulting in firmer, more youthful-looking skin.

Reduced skin redness

You’ll likely have noticed that smoking can cause skin redness due to the inflammation caused by the toxins cigarettes contain. Quitting can help to reduce the inflammation you see and feel in the skin, resulting in a reduction in redness.

Reduced risk of skin cancer

When we think of the link between smoking and cancer, we automatically think of lung cancer. However, smoking has also been linked to an increased risk of skin cancers, particularly squamous cell carcinoma. When you quit, you can help to reduce this risk, as well as the risk of other types of cancer, with the risks continuing to decrease the longer you’ve not been smoking.

Quitting smoking has numerous benefits for your skin, including improved skin tone, fewer fine lines and wrinkles, improved skin elasticity, and a reduced risk of skin cancer. While quitting smoking can be challenging, the benefits to your overall health, including your skin health, make it 100% worth the effort. If you find that you’re struggling to quit smoking, consider joining a support group, reaching out to your friends and family, or talking to your doctor about the resources available, such as vaping and other nicotine replacement therapies, to help you quit smoking successfully.