There is a new reason for women to quit smoking – acne. While acne is not half as scary or life-threatening as the other health conditions linked with smoking, such as lung cancer, it is yet another motivating factor for chucking the cigarette habit for good. New research from Europe reports that women smokers have a much higher risk of developing non-inflammatory acne than non-smokers do. Non-inflammatory acne is characterized by blackheads, whiteheads, cysts and blocked pores.
The Link between Smoking and Acne
A large study involving over 1000 women done in San Gallicano Dermatological Institute, Rome, Italy and published in the May, 2009 edition of Journal Dermato-Endocrinology concluded that there was a direct correlation between adult non-inflammatory acne and smoking habits in women. Among the 1000 women aged between 25 and 50, 42 percent of the smoking group had acne as compared to only 10 percent in the non-smoking group. The connection was so strong that the researchers coined a new term called ‘Smokers Acne” to describe the condition.
In addition, the study found that smokers who had suffered from acne in their teenage years had a four times higher chance of suffering from adult acne than the non-smokers in the study that also had experienced breakouts and blemishes in their adolescent years. The study also reported that vitamin E secretion in the sebum of the smokers was significantly lower than the non-smoking group.
However, earlier studies have failed to show a connection between acne and smoking. According to a 2007 published by the Journal of European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, as reported by Acne.org, among the 594 young participants, girls actually had a lower incidence of developing acne if they smoked. The researchers also reported that smoking and acne did not have as strong a correlation in boys as it did in the girl participants.
The Bottom Line: Smoking and Acne
While the new European study from San Gallicano Dermatological Institute, Rome, Italy points to a convincing link between smoking and non-inflammatory acne, the researchers of the study point out that their results are not conclusive and other factors may have a played a part in the results of the study. Despite the lack of a clear link between acne and smoking, quitting smoking for good makes perfectly good sense. Even if smoking does not exacerbate acne, it can prematurely age the skin by creating free radicals, inhibiting collagen production and breaking down other skin proteins, according to Acne.org.
Ranking smoking as the worst health habit among other bad habits such as drinking alcohol and not eating a healthy diet, Dr. Andrew Weil, founder of the Arizona Center of Integrative Medicine says that, “In addition to the risk of lung cancer and emphysema, tobacco injures many systems of the body and raises risk of bladder cancer, cancers of the head and neck, and leukemia.”
Sources:
- Journal Dermato-Endocrinology; Acne and Smoking. (accessed, July 21, 2010)
- Official Website of Dr. Andrew Weil; The Worst Health Habits? (accessed, July, 23, 2010)
- Acne.org; Smoking and Acne - How Cigarettes Affect the Skin. (accessed, July 22, 2010)
- The Telegraph; Smoking Can Cause Acne- New Research Shows. (accessed, July 25, 2010)
- Medical News Today; Women Smokers are More likely to have Non-Inflammatory Acne. (accessed, July 24, 2010)
Arathi Srikantaiah - Arathi Srikantaiah is a freelance writer based in the Pacific Northwest. She has been writing travel, education, green living and health ...
