Have you ever stopped to consider the effect that smoking has on your complexion, hair and nails? Well, it has a detrimental effect that can be changed quite radically if you just stop smoking.
Stopping smoking will give you a more youthful complexion
The Government's STOPTOBER initiative takes place this month and we think these beauty benefits of quitting smoking may just be the boost you need to say no and quit.
Here are six beauty benefits to quitting smoking:
Whiter Teeth
Tar stains the teeth, leaving them looking yellow rather than white. Even after getting your teeth whitened the staining will start to re-emerge again, leaving you with an unhealthy looking smile. What's more, smoking can lead to gum disease by affecting the attachment of bone and soft tissue to your teeth.
Healthier Nails
As well as staining your teeth, tobacco also stains your nails. Not only do the nails become stained from holding a cigarette but the smoke blocks oxygen to the fingernails, depriving them of their natural, healthy colour. There's only so much that nail varnish will cover!
Youthful Complexion
Smoking causes premature ageing as the chemicals eat away at proteins and restrict blood flow which results in dry and wrinkled skin, particularly around the eyes and lips. Smoking also depletes your body of many nutrients, meaning that you lose your natural glow and your skin looks duller and even leathery. Not a good look!
Thicker Hair
Smoking can damage the DNA in hair follicles, meaning that over time your hair thins, and grey hairs are more likely to appear. Men who smoke are about twice as likely to lose their hair than non-smokers.
Healthy Skin
Psoriasis is a skin disease which causes red, scaly patches to appear on the skin. The risk of contracting the condition is significantly increased if you're a smoker, and even second-hand smoke during pregnancy or childhood is linked to a higher risk.
Less Prominent Scarring
There are 4,000 chemicals in a cigarette including carbon monoxide, arsenic, cadmium and these chemicals limit oxygen-rich blood flow, which means any cuts or wounds will take longer to heal, and scars will be redder and bigger than the scars of a non-smoker.
To make it easy for you to quit the habit and reap the beauty, health and financial benefits, the UK's leading e-cigarette brand, Socialites, have devised a series of top tips to help you quit the dreaded habit for good this STOPTOBER.
- Understand why you turn to a cigarette - People turn to tobacco for different reasons, whether it is alcohol, stress, dieting or the social group you are in. Understanding what drives you to want or need a cigarette is the key to helping you prepare for these situations or avoid them all together until you are smoke free.
- Find the best aid for you - People often use alternative nicotine products to help cut the cravings. They come in a range of products, from gum and patches, through to inhalers and sweets. You can also use e-cigarettes such as Socialites which allow you to vape without the 4,000 harmful chemicals or 60 known carcinogens found in traditional cigarettes. While not a quitting aid, they are a much healthier alternative to smoking and have a higher success rate as users still get to experience the hand-to-mouth action associated with smoking traditional cigarettes
- Manage your triggers - Once you have identified your trigger, it is essential that you manage it effectively. Always be prepared and carry either alternative nicotine products or e-cigarette with you wherever you go. Socialites have recently launched a unique and disposable, the 225 - name after the amount of 'puffs' a user gets from each e-cig, which is small, light and easy to keep to hand
- Find a STOPTOBER buddy - It is very useful to quit a habit with a friend or family member. You can offer each other advice and support to help keep one another on track.
- Make sure your friends and family support you - For a social smoker, friends and family are a hugely influential factor. It's really important when trying to quit that you have the support of your friends and family who you would usually smoke with. Although using e-cigarettes offer that familiar hand to mouth action and simulate smoking traditional cigarettes, it is best to avoid passive smoking situations and make sure friends and family do not tempt you join them.
- Make a list of why you want to quit smoking - Often making a list of reasons why you want to make a life change and putting them up in different areas of your flat or house is a good way to keep you on track and curb the bad habits. It also acts as a reminder of why you are making that all important change and reminds you of your overall goal
- Take it a day at a time, and it will soon add up - A great incentive to not giving in, is taking it a day or week at a time. Once you have gone for two weeks without social smoking this will encourage you not to ruin your hard work!
- Don't bottle up your problems - It is really important to speak up during the times you are struggling to stay smoke-free. Often talking things through will help you understand how you are feeling, and what it is that is driving you crave a tobacco cigarette. Talking it through and understanding the trigger will help you realise that you do not need it and will help you find ways in which to take your mind off the cravings.
- Put the money you are saving aside - Make sure to put the money you are saving from not buying tobacco cigarettes aside so you can clearly see how much money you have saved. This will be a great incentive to keep going.
- Reward yourself - After a month of being smoke-free, use the money you put aside to treat yourself. You will be surprised how much you have saved!
http://tobaccofreelife.org/
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