How to Reduce Smoker’s Lines

Smoking is not only bad for your health but also terrible on your skin.  Tobacco use is responsible for premature aging and smokers develop specific wrinkles caused by smoking.  If you have quit the habit, we commend you on this accomplishment!  Now we can help you reduce the wrinkles left behind by this bad habit.

Why Smoker’s Lines Form

Smoker's Lines on Mouth
Wrinkles caused by Smoking

Young people who take up smoking never consider the side-effects or assume that the health risks will not be a problem until old age.  However, according to the Mayo Clinic, it is possible to see the effects of smoking in the faces of young adults after only 10 years of smoking.  Most people are aware of the diseases caused by smoking (lung cancer, emphysema, heart disease, etc) but many are not aware of the many ways that smoking affects the skin.  Smoking tobacco causes the blood vessels to become narrow which causes less blood to reach the outer layers of the skin.  So the skin does not get the full benefit of nourishing blood and oxygen as a result.  This damages the collagen and elastin that give skin the ability to bounce back and also dries out the skin at the same time.  Therefore, wrinkles begin to form much earlier in smokers than in non-smokers.

Eye and Mouth Wrinkles Caused by Smoking

As a smoker takes a drag, there are a series of facial movements that often accompany that action.  When someone inhales a cigarette, their lips pucker to draw in the vapor and then purse again to exhale the smoke.  Often a smoker will squint to keep smoke from their eyes as well.  These small movements happen over and over again with each cigarette. Over time, the effects are cumulative and will contribute to vertical wrinkles around the mouth (known as smoker’s lines or lipstick lines) as well as to the formation of crow’s feet around the eyes.  Wrinkles caused by the natural aging process will form more deeply in smokers due to the decrease in blood flow and the drying nature of the smoke.  So other areas of the face and neck will develop lines as well.  Even after quitting, the wrinkles left behind will remain.

Reduce Smoker’s Lines

Once smoker’s lines form, it is virtually impossible to remove them with home remedies or over the counter lotions. Small wrinkles can be lessened with some products but ultimately will become more noticeable with each passing year.  But new developments in dermal fillers have made it easier to reduce the wrinkles that smoking left behind.  Smokers lines around the lips can often be treated with injections of Juvederm to fill in the tiny creases and eliminate the appearance of wrinkles.  Crow’s feet can be tamed with Botox injections or filled in with dermal fillers if they are more severe.

According to facial plastic surgeon, Dr. Dominic Castellano of Elite Facial Plastic Surgery, dermal fillers work by adding volume to fill in the wrinkle from under the skin.  Many fillers are made up of hyaluronic acid (a naturally occurring substance in the skin) and will last anywhere from 3 months to 9 months depending on the formula of the filler.  Botox works differently by freezing the facial muscles responsible for creating the lines and will relax the face in specific areas to allow the wrinkles to fade away.  These injectable products are generally very safe when used properly, says Dr. Castellano, but they should always be administered by a trained professional injector working in an accredited medical facility.  Injections of Botox or dermal fillers generally take less than an hour in a doctor’s office and results will appear in 3 to 7 days.  They work great at reducing wrinkles, especially those created by smoking.Reduce Wrinkles Caused by Smoking

If you have quit smoking and want to reverse the smoker’s lines left behind, please call to schedule a complimentary consultation at Elite Facial Plastic Surgery in Tampa.  Elite Facial Plastic Surgery is a fully accredited medical facility located in Tampa, Florida.  Dr. Dominic Castellano is double-board certified and is a highly respected and experienced plastic surgeon.  Call (813)975-3223 today to schedule your complimentary visit or go to our website for more information www.EliteTampa.com.

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