Smoking & Vaping Cessation
Also known as quitting smoking, nicotine
Smoking ages the face faster than almost anything else you can do to it. Quitting is the single largest preventable factor in skin ageing after sun exposure.
Free to a few hundred for cessation aids — far cheaper than continuing.
How it works
Tobacco smoke causes vasoconstriction, reducing dermal blood flow and oxygen delivery. It activates matrix metalloproteinases that degrade collagen and elastin, and generates substantial oxidative stress. The result is characteristic premature wrinkling, sallow colour and poor wound healing.
How it's used
Use evidence-based cessation support — nicotine replacement, varenicline or bupropion combined with behavioural support substantially outperform willpower alone. Critically, stop at least four weeks before and after any surgery: smoking dramatically increases the risk of skin necrosis and wound breakdown.
Trade-offs
In favour
- Halts the fastest driver of preventable skin ageing
- Skin tone and circulation improve within weeks
- Essential before any surgical procedure
- Enormous general health benefit
Against
- Existing wrinkles do not reverse
- Withdrawal is genuinely difficult
- Weight gain is common initially
Risks and side effects
- Failing to disclose smoking before surgery risks serious wound complications
- Withdrawal irritability and disrupted sleep
- Relapse is common — plan for it
How good is the evidence?
Very strong evidence linking smoking to accelerated skin ageing and surgical complications.
Sources
Sources point to guideline bodies and literature searches rather than single papers, so they stay accurate as the evidence moves.