Does Smoking Cause Acne?

While smoking does not directly cause acne, my clinical experience suggests that smoking worsens acne scarring. Nicotine in smoking accelerates metabolism, exacerbates loss of collagen in an additive if not synergistic fashion along with sun exposure, thereby bringing about worsening of acne scarring. Smokers with acne scarring tend to have a distinct acne scarring pattern where there is a leathery texture along with pitting scars. Stop smoking for the sake of your skin!

I tend to be a skeptic about this. I dont recommend smoking and I also dont believe that it causes acne. Acne is a complex disease with many variations. The different types of Acne are a result of many complex environmental and genetic issues. I do not consider smoking to be one of these issues.

This would depend on your definition of a pimple, a non-medical term. Smoking may not cause pimples but it may cause acne. A recent Italian study published in the British Journal of Dermatology showed that people who smoke have a much higher rate of what we dermatologists call non-inflammatory acne. Non-inflammatory acne includes blackheads and clogged pores. This may due to an irritation of the pores, or more precisely the follicular orifices. This irritation may result in... more