Film and television often show a sensual woman as a chain smoker. Smoking was a way they showed sex appeal. Rita Hayworth was often pictured with a cigarette in his hand. Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct smoked like a chimney in that famous interrogation scene.
Bad Girls, the men went crazy over smoking, sultry beauties with cigarettes or cigars in their hands.
The reality is far from what is depicted in the movies. Smoking causes your skin to age prematurely and gives it a sickly discoloration. If discolored teeth, a non-sexy cough and bad breath aren't enough, than this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Did you know that regular cigarettes have more than 4,000 chemicals, many of which are toxic. Not to mention nicotine, the drug that gives smokers their high, is very addictive.
Many people want to quit but are unable to do so because the withdrawal symptoms when they try to stop are too much for most people. Even if they succeed in weathering through the withdrawal symptoms, the craving for just one stick is still very strong.
One smoke leads to another smoke, and before you know it, you're hooked again.
That's the addictive power of nicotine.
Now let's start with how smoking prematurely ages you. There's so much talk about the anti-aging properties of anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants work by neutralizing free radicals in the body. Free radicals are created through oxidization and in the body's normal processes.
Under normal circumstances the body can easily get rid of free radicals that are created. But if too many free radicals are created, then you're going to have a problem.
Free radicals steal electrons from other cells. This stealing of electrons damages the cells; affect the cell membranes and even their DNA. This can influence the growth of cells and can also cause the malfunction of the cells. This speeds up the aging process.
What happens when you smoke? Any amount of cigarette smoke will results in more than a trillion free radicals entering your lungs and body.
How much damage would this cause to your body? Example: A long-term smoker in their forties would have a lined face which looks as old as a non-smoker in their sixties.
Researchers from Nagoya City University Medical School in Japan have found that cells exposed to secondhand smoke have far higher amounts of an enzyme that breaks down collagen.
Not only that, smoke causes a 40% decrease in the production of new collagen. Collagen is what keeps skin firm and younger and the effects caused by smoking results in older looking skin.
Cigarette smoke also contains carbon monoxide.
You have heard of people dying from carbon monoxide poisoning as they slept in a car with the windows up and the engine running? Carbon monoxide does the same in the body; it steals and starves cells of needed oxygen. And In smokers, this results in skin that is gray or yellow looking, instead of a healthy pink. How beautiful is this? This is just the skin alone.
Now let's add that to hair falling out, yellowed teeth and shortness of breath which affects your ability to exercise. Can you see how cigarettes can destroy people's appearance?
Now there is a device being used by some that's showing promise on the fight to help smokers stop. It's called a American blue tip electronic cigarette. It's a three piece unit that simulates the look, feel and taste of a regular cigarette without the tar and 4000+ chemicals used to produce regular cigs. The only similarity it has is nicotine. With an American blue tip electronic cigarette you can adjust the amount of nicotine from high to no-nicotine at all. So you can slowly wend yourself off cigarette at your pace.
So if you want to look good, stay away from cigarettes. But if you must continue, try an American blue tip electronic cigarette on for size.
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