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.

 

Although the skin is usually fairly elastic, when it is overstretched, the normal production of collagen is disrupted. It is this collagen which keeps skin tight and supple. There are several external factors which affect the skins natural ability to produce and maintain collagen levels such as a persons diet and smoking.

 

These collagen levels affect the appearance of wrinkles and lines in the face. They also largely dictate how other blemishes, such as acne scars or even surgery scars, heal.

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