The Tribune

By SARAH BEEK

YOU already know smoking is bad for your health, so we’re not here to preach. Instead, let’s take a poll. Raise your hand if you’d like:

• A dull appearance (no radiant glow)

• Discoloured skin

• Wrinkles as early as in your 20s

• Loss of tone and elasticity (saggy skin)

What? No hands raised?

It’s hard to visualise the damage smoking causes to your internal organs, but for a sneak peek, look to your skin.

The 4,000 toxins in cigarette smoke are absorbed by your bloodstream and distributed to your skin’s structure. This constricts (narrows) blood vessels at the top layers of your skin, reducing blood supply and oxygen. Because skin is an organ full of living cells, the lack of oxygen is actually suffocating your skin from the inside out.

Smoking also impedes skin’s removal of toxins and dead skin cells while hampering collagen regeneration. The less collagen you have, the less skin structural support, which leads to slow wound healing and signs of premature aging.

Take up smoking to look more mature? You’ll get your wish: Smoking makes skin dull, dry and devitalised, causing smokers to look older than their real age.

Put out the butt to save your skin. Another positive side affect? Quitting (or never starting to begin with) means more money in your wallet.

• This information was taken from www.dermalogicacaribbean.com. Sarah Beek is a professional skin therapist at the Dermalogica Skin Centre in the Old Fort Town Centre. For

more information or to make an appointment call 377-SKIN (7546), e-mail appointments@dermalogicaskincentre.com, or visit www.dermalogicaskincentre.com.