Distinct lines around the mouth and a dull pallor of the skin often identify long-term smokers in a crowd. Now a study reveals exactly how smoking causes skin to age.
According to researchers, tobacco smoke increased levels of a skin protein called matrix metalloproteinase 1 (MMP-1).
This protein causes the degradation of collagen, a compound that keeps skin firm and elastic.
Short of plastic surgery, there is no way to reverse the damage as the disruption of collagen balance is like a scar
The study originally sought to investigate the effect of artificial sunlight on MMP-1 and the findings about smoking were by chance. Ultraviolet light can also increase MMP-1 levels. The researchers looked at buttock skin because that was the area least likely to be affected by sunlight.
The Lancet March 24, 2001;357:935-936
What the investigators did not learn from this study is that vigorous exercise, like marathon running, will also induce similar changes. My comments in the first link review that issue along with my recommendations for optimizing antioxidant protection to help prevent this from happening if you exercise.
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