A guy (I don’t know who) said that a cigarette is something that has fire on one end and a fool on the other. I couldn’t agree more and I can never understand why it is that intelligent people would willingly put something that poisonous in their mouth and then puff on it so smugly and contentedly? Well, people may not take their health too seriously but I do know that they are extremely bothered about their appearance. Here are ten ways smoking affects your looks. Pay attention and take heed of what your cigarettes can do to you.
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Smoking accelerates the process of aging and, on an average, smokers look about 1.5 years older than those that don’t smoke. You sure you want to look all wrinkly in your twenties?
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Nicotine withdrawal at night can keep you from getting your beauty sleep. The result? You end up with bags under your eyes the next morning. You’d better be careful – you are already aging rapidly.
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There are various ways smoking affects your looks, but none as prominent as this one. Smoke long enough hand you may be highly reluctant to flash your million dollar smile. In fact, prolonged smoking may well cause the dollar value of your smile to plummet drastically. Not only does nicotine in the cigarettes lead to stained teeth, you are also at high risk of gum diseases, oral cancer and…here comes the best part…tooth loss.
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If the nicotine can stain your teeth, imagine what it can do to your fingers. The simplest way to spot a chain smoker is to look at his/her nails. They will be stained brownish yellow. How do you get rid of them? The usual stuff you know – scrubbing with abrasive metal wool or soaking your nails in a harsh chemical like bleach. That’s all you need to do.
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It has been noticed that smokers have a hard time healing after surgeries – same goes for any wounds they may sustain in an accident. Not just that – the scars from these wounds tend to be more prominent and ugly looking than you would see in a non-smoker.
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The carbon monoxide in cigarette smoke displaces the level of oxygen in your blood and leaves your skin looking dry, discolored and kinda off. Even young smokers don’t have a glow about their skin. What a pity!
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Wrinkly skin, stained teeth, scars and now thinning hair too? Yup smoking can affect your looks by affecting your hair as well. Smokers tend to have thinner hair than non-smokers and it turns gray a lot faster as well. In fact, smokers are two times as likely to lose their hair as nonsmokers.
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And you were wondering what more they could add to this list! By the looks of it – a lot more. Although the reasons are not very clear people who smoke are more vulnerable to infection caused by the human papillomavirus, which causes the body to break into all kinds of warts, including the very icky genital kind. Research indicates that when compared to non smokers, women smokers are four times as likely to have genital warts.
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Of all the ways smoking affects your looks this has to be the worst among them. At least, that’s how I feel personally. I mean, honestly, if I was a smoker that would be reason enough to throw away my pack of cigarettes.
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And that’s the icing on the cake! Since nicotine damages the connective tissues of your skin, and experts believe that cigarettes can be a contributing factor towards developing stretch marks and the loss of skin elasticity and strength.
That’s not really the end of the horror story, you know. There are countless other ways smoking affects your looks, health, and well-being. Which leads me to ask the obvious question (and pardon me, if I come across as too naïve!) but really, “Do you have a Death Wish? Why haven’t you quit already?”
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