SMOKING, SKIN DAMAGE AND HYPNOTHERAPY

     By now everyone knows that smoking is bad for your health.  But did you know it is also bad for how you look?  The smoke from cigarettes and the chemicals within cigarettes are very damaging to the skin.  These chemicals can cause problems with the skin's ability to protect itself from free radicals.  They are the same compounds that cause rust in metals.  Smoking reduces the body's ability to form the main structural component of skin - collagen.  Without the collagen, elastin, the elastic fibers in skin, break apart or thicken.  Smoking also reduces blood circulation cutting down on oxygen being supplied to the skin.  Skin drying and cracking may be caused in women as estrogen levels are cut. A study done by University of California at San Francisco found that female smokers were three times more likely to have moderate to severe wrinkling than women who did not smoke.  Men who smoked had twice the wrinkles of men who did not.  As long ago as 1985, Dr. Douglas Model, surveyed 116 patients and identified about half of the current smokers by their facial features.  Dr. Model said the identifying features of smokers were:  badly wrinkled skin, shriveled gray skin and gaunt features.  He called this group of features, "smoker's face".  If you care about your appearance and don't want to age badly, let this be another reason to think about quitting smoking.  And remember, hypnotherapy is a great way to become and be a healthy nonsmoker.  So check my website at www.BeAHealthyNonsmoker.com.