What Are the Effects of Smoking on Skin?

The nicotine in the smoke is the culprit because it decreases blood flow in the skin by constricting the vessels. Studies have shown that if a smoker avoids all nicotine products - gums, patches, AND SECOND HAND SMOKE for one month before and one month after surgery, their risk of healing problems is reduced substantially but not quite to the level of a non-smoker. The surgeries where the risks for smokers are highest are those in which the skin is undermined and tightened to achieve the... more

Smoking has several effects on the skin, all bad. First is the acute nicotine vasoconstriction. This is unfortunately also present with nicotine gums and patches. It causes the blood vessels to shrink, reducing blood flow. In plastic surgery terms, the operated areas are suddenly deprived of blood. If a facelift patient were to smoke in the period shortly after surgery, the next day there might be dead skin present in front of the ears. Fortunately the short term effects of nicotine... more

Tobacco emits dozens of known chemicals while burning. Nicotine, among others, is a potent vasoconstrictor to the blood vessels. In other words, the blood vessels spasm when they are exposed to nicotine, whether through cigarettes or chewable nicotine. This becomes important in plastic surgery when we have to rely on the blood vessels to feed the skin and tissue after an incision is made. If the blood vessels are in spasm, they will not provide enough blood to supply the tissues, hence... more