It’s well known that smokers have a high risk of developing serious diseases, such as heart disease and lung disease, arthritis, cancers of the body, immune disorders, and infertility. But smoking also has detrimental effects on your skin, accelerating the aging process.

From dark under-eye circles to yellow fingers, smoking can take a toll on your appearance. Smokers also experience slower healing times, which can cause elective surgeries to be denied or delayed.

Some patients are at a higher risk than others. Chronic smokers can suffer from skin asphyxiation, which occurs from a lack of oxygen related to smoking.

Because of the many risk factors presented by smoking, some procedural work would only be done in vain. Take, for instance, a flight attendant who smokes and drinks alcohol. The combination of these factors on a regular basis could wreak havoc on one’s skin.

Even when a person is capable of quitting smoking, the effects may not be entirely reversible. However, steps can be taken to minimize these negative effects on appearance.

Among the benefits of quitting smoking are brighter eyes. This is because smokers are four times more likely to feel unrested after a full night of sleep, according to research conducted by John Hopkins University.

Nicotine withdrawals are believed to be the culprit of this lack of sleep. A more restful sleep will mean brighter eyes the next morning.

Cigarette smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals, 70 of which are thought to be cancer causing, says the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. These chemicals leave your skin prone to premature aging.

When a smoker kicks the habit, his or her body’s ability to produce collagen returns to normal levels. The result? Healthier skin. Wrinkles will not go away completely, but recent studies have shown that the development of new wrinkles will begin to slow.

A smoother complexion develops as well, since nicotine constricts the blood vessels that carry oxygen and nutrients to your skin. And that lack of oxygen is what can leave skin looking dull and uneven.

Much negativity surrounds smoking and its effects on the skin, but there is good news.

Many new advancements have been made with non-surgical and minimally invasive procedures that leave zero downtime. CASS CLINICAL MED SPA can offer procedures that address age-related facial changes caused by smoking.

We offer not only procedures, but education as well. We believe in educating the mind, body and spirit of our patients with any procedure.

Here are a few examples of how we educate our patients.

Eat well. Foods can help or harm your skin.Foods that are high in vitamins A and C are critical, because they protect your skin while supporting collagen development. Those who smoke have deficiencies in both vitamins A and C, since smoking inhibits the absorption of these vitamins.

‍Eat foods rich in vitamins D and K. Vitamin D allows the absorption of calcium and promotes bone growth.Vitamin K plays a role in blood clotting, bone metabolism, and regulated blood calcium levels.

‍Hydrate. Hydration helps with dryness or dullness, which is common with ex-smokers. In fact, those who have quit smoking must stay extra-hydrated, drinking 8 to 10 eight-ounce glasses of water during the course of a day.

‍Rejuvenate. CASS CLINICAL MED SPA implements anti-aging skin rejuvenation intravenous therapy with our own proprietary blend of amino acids, biotin, folic acid, glutathione, vitamin A, vitamin B complex, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B5, vitamin B6, vitamin C, and vitamin D3. The therapy begins as a weekly treatment and then is upgraded to a monthly treatment.‍

Use sunscreen. Sunscreen is always a must, even on cloudy days, seven days a week, and even indoors. Choose a broad spectrum SPF, which will shield the skin from UVA and UVB rays daily.
In addition to following the steps above, it’s important to cleanse with CASS CLINICAL MED SPA Botanical Peptide Cleanser and Moisturizer daily to remove built-up dirt and debris, and lock in hydration.

Regular exfoliation also can help your skin appear more vibrant, as the older skin is removed to reveal fresh layers.

Following a program with CASS CLINICAL MED SPA C-Radiance will deliver four times more vitaminC effectively into the skin.

This stimulates collagen growth, brightening and evening out the skin tone.

CASS CLINICAL MED SPA’s anti-aging RA Cream 0.0025% contains powerful tretinoin, which is great for photo-damaged and prematurely aged skin. It also will stimulate collagen production, making the skin firmer and denser.

The clinic’s best-kept secret in a bottle is our Fountain of Youth, which quickly delivers results equal to 190% elastin production after only 11 days. It mimics collagen and filler within two weeks of use.

Receive a micro-needling package as you begin using CASS CLINICAL MED SPA’s pharmaceutical-grade product line to assure absorption and the best results. After six weeks, a brighter skin tone will appear, and the next step in transformation can occur.

This consists of PDO thread meshing to aid in further collagen production – a PDO thread lift – followed by Bellafill.

Implementing these tools and techniques right away will pave the road to smoother, more gorgeous skin for any ex-smoker.