Does smoking cause wrinkles from the chemicals or is from the actual movement of the face involved in smoking?

My wife and I were talking about this today and we were wondering what causes the wrinkles in smokers faces.

Smoke cause WRINKLES!

all the chemicals

the chemicals... you use the same muscles in the face to eat and smile and talk...but the chemicals cause you to wrinkle faster

Smoking damages your body cells - inside and out. My best advice is to try to stop smoking. Smoking, knowing all the risks associated with it really is a slow form of suicide if you really think about it.

the chemicals

maybe smoke or maybe they r just stoopid and old but i think all the smoke makes them wrinkle faster

I don't have wrinkles.

i think its different for everyone that smokes, im 43 and people tell me i look like im 30. that hasnt happened to me. guess im lucky.

The smoke causes the wrinkles. I saw a girl I went to high school with the other day, I knew she smoked but just didn't realize how much. We are in our early 30's, she looks like she is in her late 50's. Definetly the smoke! YUCK!

i deifinitely think it's due to the nicotine and other toxic chemicals in the cigarette..cos they result in physiological changes in the body..the body reacts to them..and this results in the physical manifestations--WRINKLES!!

The chemicals in the smoke. I saw a show that compared twins, one smoked the other didn't and there was a huge difference, expecially around the mouth.

probably about 50 or 60 of the 400 chemicals added to cigarette tobacco.

When you smoke you replace some of the oxygen in your blood with carbon monoxide, also smoking restricts blood flow...so your skin, especially the more delicate skin on your face, does not get a good supply of oxygen rich blood, which in turn makes it lose its youthfulness.
The same is true for many organs of the body when you smoke, eg, sometimes male smokers have a bit of trouble down there - lack of good blood supply!
Lots of information here: http://www.quitguide.com

Smoking and the Skin

The skin is affected by tobacco smoke in at least two ways. Firstly, tobacco smoke released into the environment has a drying effect on the skin鈥檚 surface. Secondly, because smoking restricts blood vessels, it reduces the amount of blood flowing to the skin, thus depleting the skin of oxygen and essential nutrients. Some research suggests that smoking may reduce the body鈥檚 store of Vitamin A, which provides protection against some skin-damaging agents produced by smoking. [1] Another likely explanation is that squinting in response to the irritating nature of the smoke, and the puckering of the mouth when drawing on a cigarette, cause wrinkling around the eyes and mouth. [2]

Skin damaged by smoke has a greyish, wasted appearance. Recent research has shown that the skin ageing effects of smoking may be due to increased production of an enzyme that breaks down collagen in the skin. [3] Collagen is the main structural protein of the skin which maintains skin elasticity. The more a person smokes, the greater the risk of premature wrinkling. Smokers in their 40s often have as many facial wrinkles as non-smokers in their 60s. In addition to facial wrinkling, smokers鈥?may develop hollow cheeks through repeated sucking on cigarettes: this is particularly noticeable in under-weight smokers and can cause smokers to look gaunt. 2 A South Korean study of smokers, non-smokers and ex-smokers aged 20 to 69 found that the current smokers had a higher degree of facial wrinkling than non-smokers and ex-smokers. Past smokers who smoked heavily at a younger age revealed less facial wrinkling than current smokers. [4]

The Chief Medical Officer highlighted the link between smoking and wrinkled, damaged skin, in his 2003 annual report. The report noted that smokers鈥?skin can be prematurely aged by between 10 and 20 years and, although the damaging effects of cigarette smoke on the skin are irreversible, further deterioration can be avoided by stopping smoking. [5]

Prolonged smoking causes discoloration of the fingers and fingernails on the hand used to hold cigarettes. Smoking also results in a yellowing of the teeth and is a cause of halitosis (bad breath).

Wrinkles cause by the dozens of toxic chemicals in the smoke.
Ever see a 40 year old woman that looks 60?
How about a 50 year old that looks 30?
Smoking and drugs are major causes of wrinkles.

from the chemicals