Smoking impacts appearance

If you smoke, you already know you need to quit. It’s bad for your heart, lungs, brain, and even your sex life.

But let’s face it: You’d have kicked the habit yesterday if smoking’s ill effects were a bit more obvious. What if each cigarette created a black pockmark on your face, for instance?

Well, smoking does damage your looks. Read on to discover 15 ways smoking is ruining your appearance.

If you are serious about quitting and would like to even enquire into the possibility you can visit this link for more information on Hypnotherapy as an option.

Bags under your eyes

Don’t you hate it when you can’t get a good night’s sleep—and it shows on your face?

If you smoke, you’re four times as likely as nonsmokers to report feeling unrested after a night’s sleep, according to Johns Hopkins study.

Why the lack of shut-eye? It’s possible that nightly nicotine withdrawal could be causing you to toss and turn. And unfortunately, poor sleep doesn’t equal pretty

Icky teeth

Wouldn’t you love to have a set of dazzling white, Hollywood-like choppers? If you smoke, you can kiss that dream good-bye.

It’s the nicotine in cigarettes that can stain teeth.

So in addition to the escalating costs of buying and smoking your cigs, add in the cost of tooth whitening. A professional procedure to clean your teeth costs an average of $500 to $1,000

Premature aging and wrinkles

We can all appreciate a wizened visage—on our favorite nonagenarian that is. Wrinkles look anything but wise when they show up on a relatively young person who smokes.

And show up they will. Experts agree that smoking accelerates aging, so that smokers look 1.4 years older than nonsmokers, on average.

Why the wrinkly face? Smoking hampers the blood supply that keeps skin tissue looking supple and healthy.

Yellow fingers

The nicotine in cigarette smoke can not only make your teeth (and the walls of your home) brown, but it’s also notorious for staining fingers and nails as well.

If you search the Internet, you can find a number of home remedies, including lemon juice, bleach solutions, and scrubbing with steel wool. Ouch.

Wouldn’t it be easier—and less painful—to just quit?

Thinner hair

As if the wrinkly skin wasn’t enough, smoking hurts your hair too. Experts think the toxic chemicals in smoke can damage the DNA in hair follicles and generate cell-damaging free radicals as well.

The end result? Smokers have thinner hair that tends to go gray sooner than nonsmokers. That is, if they have any hair at all.

Men who smoke are about twice as likely to lose their hair as nonsmokers, after taking into account factors that increase the risk of baldness, such as aging and genetics, according to a 2007 study in Taiwan.

Scarring

Nicotine causes vasoconstriction, a narrowing of the blood vessels that can limit oxygen-rich blood flow to the tiny vessels in the face or other parts of the body.

This means your wounds will take longer to heal and you’ll have scars that are bigger and redder than you would in a nonsmoking parallel universe.

Tooth loss

Smoking puts you at greater risk for all kinds of dental problems, including oral cancer and gum disease.

In fact, according to a 2005 U.K. study in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology, smokers are up to six times more likely than nonsmokers to develop gum disease, which can lead to tooth loss.

Wouldn’t you rather be doing, well, anything other than sitting in a dentist’s chair?

Natural glow is gone

Ever notice how smokers’ skin sometimes seems off? You’re not alone. A 1985 study came up with the term Smoker’s Face to describe certain facial characteristics, such as wrinkles, gauntness, and a gray appearance of the skin, caused by smoking.

Cigarette smoke contains carbon monoxide, which displaces the oxygen in your skin, and nicotine, which reduces blood flow, leaving skin dry and discolored. Cigarette smoking also depletes many nutrients, including vitamin C, which helps protect and repair skin damage.

Wound healing

Several studies have found that smokers do not heal as well after surgeries such as face-lifts, tooth extractions, and periodontal procedures.

So once cigarettes wrinkle up your face, you’ll have a harder time correcting the damage with cosmetic surgery than people who’ve never smoked. (And your surgeon might not even perform the procedure until you agree to kick the habit.)

Warts

For reasons that aren’t entirely clear, smokers are more susceptible to infection with human papillomavirus, a large family of viruses that can cause warts—including genital warts.

While genital warts are caused by sexually transmitted types of HPV, smoking is also a risk factor. Even taking the number of sex partners into account, women who smoke are nearly four times as likely to have genital warts as nonsmokers, according to one study.

Skin cancer

Smoking is a leading cause of cancer, including lung, throat, mouth, and esophageal cancer, so it should be no surprise that cigarettes can also increase your risk of skin cancer.

In fact, according to a 2001 study, smokers are three times as likely to develop squamous cell carcinoma, the second most common type of skin cancer, than nonsmokers.

Stretch marks

The nicotine found in cigarettes damages the fibers and connective tissue in your skin, causing it to lose elasticity and strength.

Stretch marks, red skin striations that can gradually fade to a silvery hue, form when you gain weight rapidly. Anyone can get stretch marks with rapid weight gain (such as in pregnancy), but cigarettes can be a contributing factor.

Flabby tummy

Cigarettes can be an appetite suppressant, and often smokers have a lower body weight than nonsmokers. However, a 2009 study in the Netherlands found that smokers had more visceral fat than nonsmokers.

This deep fat pads internal organs and can accumulate in your midsection, ultimately increasing the risk of other diseases, such as diabetes.

Cataracts

More than half of Americans will have developed some degree of cataracts by age 80. Cigarette smoking can increase the risk of cataracts by putting oxidative stress on the lens of the eye.

In fact, continued smoking can add up to a 22% increased risk of cataract extraction, according to one study. And it’s not too late to quit—the amount of cigarettes smoked was a more important risk factor than how long someone smoked.

1. Hydrate, cleanse, soften and moisturise your skin with coconut oil. Certified organic, one hundred per cent pure and raw virgin coconut oil makes a fantastic do-all beauty product. It is totally pure and clean, making it the perfect alternative for natural beauty.

2. You can massage coconut oil into your skin to maintain its suppleness, but you should also take a tablespoon each day in its uncooked, raw form. It helps to cleanse and balance your healthy gut flora, which is thought to minimise the outbreaks of skin rashes,  and irritations. When taken internally coconut oil literally beautifies your skin from the inside out.

3. Used as a skin moisturiser,  coconut oil nourishes and hydrates your skin by replenishing your natural skin oils. It contains Medium Chain Fatty Acids (MCFA’s), which are also found in your natural skin oils. These MCFA’S are naturally anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti fungal.

4. A common cause for skin problems and dehydration is a build up of toxins, fungi and bad bacteria. Coconut oil helps to cleanse and neutralise these toxins,  fungi and bacteria on the outer layers of your skin, which not only detoxifies but also helps to build your skins natural immune system and protection.

5. Some forms of eczema and psoriasis are actually skin infections caused by a fungus. Using coconut oil topically can help these.

6.  It can also be used in your hair as a deep conditioning treatment. Coconut oil will make your hair shine and glow by bringing out your natural vibrancy and beauty.

Try: Coconut Magic Certified Organic Coconut Oil, from $10.95 – $29.95, www.coconutmagic.com, 07 3103 3478

And it’s not just the oil that works wonders – coconut water is getting a great rap, too, in the beauty stakes!!

7.  They say that drinking coconut water makes your skin look younger and more vibrant, as it aids in cleansing toxins naturally and erases any harmful toxic build up. The result? Clearer, healthier looking skin.

8.  You can also use coconut water as a facemask – thoroughly soak cotton pads in the coconut water and apply them to your face. Leave them on for up to 30 minutes for radiant, hydrated and moisture-filled skin.

9.  To make coconut scrub to hydrate your skin, mix 1tbsp of coconut water and lentils into a paste. Rub it gently on the skin for two minutes then rinse it away.

10. Coconut water can also be an effective clarifying moisturiser. Simply mix a few drops of coconut water with a few drops of lemon and then apply it to your skin. The coconut water hydrates and the lemon helps brighten and clear the skin.

Walking barefoot on the sand isn’t just fun – it’s good for you!

What could be more relaxing than a barefoot walk along a sandy beach? Besides being a treat for the senses, this simple pleasure is actually a very healthy option that adds to the attractions of a beach holiday and can help make up for some of the tempting excesses of local food. To begin with, walking – whether on the sand or elsewhere – can improve blood circulation, making it a particularly suitable exercise for people suffering with varicose veins.
Massage your soles. If you walk briskly on the beach, you’ll get the added benefit of the sand massaging the soles of your feet, which activates venous and lymphatic circulation. And if you’re right at the water’s edge, as the waves break, the sea water will massages your ankles, making the exercise even more complete.

Water walking. The water around your ankles is beneficial, but if you’re willing to get a bit wetter, walk out until the water reaches up to your thighs. Walking at this depth, lifting your legs with each stride, is tiring, but it’s fantastic exercise to strengthen the muscles of the legs and buttocks.

Free exfoliation. There are beauty benefits, too, as the friction of the sand is a marvellous natural exfoliant. Walking barefoot will result in softer feet in no time, just like a home peel treatment!

Mineral magic. There’s another benefit to seawater, too, as it contains minerals (iodine and sodium) that help prevent ageing – not to mention the fact that it’s relaxing!

Wet or dry sand? Obviously, if you’re right down at the water’s edge, you’ll be walking on wet sand. This is actually easier and takes less effort. But as you get fitter and start to notice the benefits of the water, you may want to extend your walks farther up the beach where the sand is dryer. Since dry sand is less stable and the shape shifts as you walk, it involves more effort. Remember that while this is good in terms of exercise, it also means there is a higher risk of injury, mainly to the ankle ligaments.

A trick or two:

• Move your hands when walking to avoid them swelling.
• Avoid walking in the middle of the day. To avoid sunburn or heat stroke, the best time is first thing in the morning or in the evening.
• It can be pleasant to take a walk in company. What’s more, having someone with you may encourage you to overcome any possible laziness. (As long as your companion doesn’t cut the walk short and head straight for the nearest beach bar!)
• Always apply sunscreen before you set off, carry a bottle of water and wear a hat. Remember that you can still get sun burnt when it’s cloudy, and the sun bounces back up from the water. Don’t forget to reapply the sunscreen when your walk is over – particularly if you’ve been walking in the sea.

Freshen up

American fashion model Karlie Kloss has revealed that she likes misting her face with rose water in the morning due to its refreshing and moisturizing qualities. Rose water, which is created through the distillation of rose petals and water, is a natural and sweet-smelling beauty product that is great for freshening up skin throughout the day and which can also be used as a toner for dry skin types. It also has anti-inflammatory properties, so is great for reducing redness and soothing irritated skin.

Those with oily skins can also benefit from using a face mist to freshen up their skin throughout the day. Lavender water is particularly good for those with oily or acne-prone complexions. You could even try making your own face mist using purified water and essential oils. This can be stored in the fridge and used to tone and freshen up your skin when required.

Trust in Mother Nature

Natural skincare has become increasingly popular in recent years, due to the potentially harmful nature of many chemical ingredients used in synthetic beauty products, and many supermodels have cottoned on to this trend. Supermodel Lindsey Wixson is a big fan of natural beauty brand RMS Beauty, and both she and Lily Cole are fans of tea tree oil for helping to keep their complexions blemish-free. Miranda Kerr is also a big advocate of organic products and has even launched her own beauty line, KORA Organics.

If you don’t want to splash out on skin products, you could try making your own natural skincare products using ingredients found in your kitchen. Many common kitchen staples can double up as beauty products, such as olive oil – which makes a great natural body moisturiser – and brown sugar, which can be mixed with olive oil to make an exfoliator. Oatmeal is also a useful ingredient for those with dry or eczema-prone skin, either used as an exfoliating cleanser or added to bathwater.

Use an SPF

One of the most important steps for maintaining a supermodel-like complexion is to make sure you always apply sunscreen before you leave the house. Czech-born supermodel Paulina Porizkova, 47, puts her youthful complexion down to the fact that she started using a daily SPF on her face when she was in her 20s. Heidi Klum also advocates wearing a daily SPF and avoiding spending too long in the sun.

As these supermodels know, when it comes to wrinkles prevention is better than cure, so try making an effort now to ward off one of the leading causes of wrinkles. While many of us wait until summer to bring out the sun protection, the UV rays which cause premature ageing (as well as skin cancer) can penetrate through clouds and cause irreversible damage. To help delay signs of ageing, wear an SPF of at least factor 15 every day.

Go makeup-free

Many supermodels, including Adriana Lima and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, are regularly seen out and about without a stitch of makeup. In fact, many of them make a point of going makeup-free while they are away from work. Ranya Mordanova has revealed that she will only wear concealer on her days off, and Bar Refaeli has said she also likes to go make-up free while not working to allow her skin to breathe.

Going make-up free every now and then is good for your skin, and it can also be good for your confidence to know that you don’t need all the cosmetics. To look beautiful without your makeup, try exfoliating your skin and applying a good moisturiser for a natural glow, grooming your eyebrows to help shape your face and wearing colours that complement your natural complexion.

Eat beauty-boosting foods

To get clear and flawless skin it is important to pay attention to your diet as well as your skincare, as most supermodels know. Karolina Kurkova is said to drink green smoothies made from green vegetables and fruit juice as part of her healthy diet, while Mirte Maas has revealed that she eats a diet rich in healthy foods such as whole grains, fresh fruit and veg. Aminata Niaria also puts her glowing skin down to her high consumption of fish, which is rich in beauty-boosting omega-3 fatty acids.

To keep your skin in good condition, make sure you eat a well-balanced and varied diet rich in face-friendly foods, including nutritious fruits, vegetables and oily fish. Deficiencies in nutrients such as iron and vitamin B12 can lead to pale, sallow skin, so make sure you are getting enough of these nutrients in your diet. Nuts are also a great source of vitamin E, which can help the skin to retain its natural moisture levels and stay soft and hydrated.