let's consider of the vanity side of smoking
Smoking And Wrinkles
Want to look like a road map through a mountain range? No! Then read on because Xposed's Dr. X gives some key advice on how to fight back wrinkles.
It used to be lines on a man's face was a sign of being rugged, weathered, a Man's Man. But how things have changed. These days we purchase skin care products almost as frequently as women do. But the reality is, you can use all the skin cream in the world you want, but if you don't follow some practical advice about smoking and what it does to your skin, all the creams in the world won't stop you from looking like this guy.
A British Medical Journal (The Lancet) is now publishing scientific results from a study that shows smoking switches on a gene (known as matrix metalloproteinase-1, or MMP-1) in our bodies that destroys Collagen .. the very stuff that helps prevent wrinkles.
Wrinkle causes
Sunbathing is the biggest known culprit.
It causes oxygen damage and a mild inflammatory reaction in the skin, both of which stimulate the cells to crank out more repair chemicals than normal. Levels of MMP-1 get particularly high.
Scientists believe part of the problem is that repeated stress disturbs the natural balance of those substances. It takes longer to build collagen structures than to break them down and eventually the collagen building can't keep up.
Screwing up the face while smoking and pursing the lips to drag on a cigarette are also considered to contribute to premature wrinkling.
Smoking has also been found to trigger oxygen damage to the cells and to mess up the blood flow to the skin.
Smoking Gene
The scientists at St. John's Institute of Dermatology in London England, report that the gene was highly active in smokers and silent in non-smokers. It's the same gene they identified that caused wrinkles from sunbathing. Dermatologists from our side of the pond think the British study has established the real key to smoking and wrinkles, "it indicates that something in cigarettes is injuring skin in a similar way to sun, or at least through the same pathways," says Dr. James Leyden, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School "I think it could be part of the story of smoking and skin."
The Butt Of Research
So how did they find this out, well the Brits (*** men I think) exposed the rears, the butts, the crack cover of 33 people to artificial sunlight. The team was actually investigating if artificial light triggered the gene. What suprised the scientists was that some bottoms were very active with the gene, while others didn't react at all.
The researchers discovered the difference between the two groups was whether they smoked. "When you smoke, there's extra activity in the lungs and that has a knock-on effect," said Gillian Murphy, a cellular biologist. "The lung is such a big organ that molecules from the tobacco smoke and the repair process get into the bloodstream and travel to the skin." She believes this study helps show that the effect of smoking on skin is the same as being in the sun, in that it depletes our natural supply of collagen. Collagen is part of our skin's makeup that includes elastin and a lubricant to keep skin intact. MMP-1 is one of a small group of enzymes that cells use to gently renew themselves. It breaks down collagen, other substances control its concentration, while some promote collagen building.
The better the collagen structure, the better the skin. So the next time you want to light one up, remember what the end results might be.
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To everyone who has quit smoking, CONGRATS!!! 
