《TAIPEI TIMES》Smoking could worsen facial wrinkles: HPA

健康 國際 地方 蒐奇 影音 財經 娛樂 汽車 時尚 體育 3 C 評論 藝文 玩咖 食譜 地產 專區 TAIPEI TIMES 求職

A woman vapes in a negative-pressure smoking room next to Taipei Zhongshan MRT Station on May 20. Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times

By Lee I-chia / Staff reporter

Women aged 40 or older who smoke are 3.1 times more likely to develop moderate-to-severe facial wrinkles compared with women who have never smoked, the Health Promotion Administration said yesterday.

The agency cited a US study that examined the link between “pack-years of smoking” and facial wrinkling in men and women.

A study was conducted with 299 never-smokers, 551 former smokers and 286 current smokers, aged between 30 and 69, drawn from a health maintenance organization.

The study assessed their smoking status, pack-years of smoking and other variables via questionnaires.

The facial wrinkles of the study’s participants were clinically examined and scored, using a standardized visual assessment method, by researchers who were blind to the subjects’ smoking status.

As prominent wrinkling was found to be very uncommon for people aged 30 to 39, analysis was restricted to subjects aged 40 or older, including 227 never-smokers, 456 former smokers and 228 current smokers.

The agency said the study concluded that with age, average sun exposure and body mass index controlled, the risk of moderate-to-severe wrinkling for current smokers compared with never-smokers was 2.3 times greater among men and 3.1 times greater among women.

The study found that “women may be somewhat more sensitive to the effects of smoking on facial wrinkles than men.”

The agency said cosmetic appearance is only part of the negative effects of smoking, and the chronic negative effects to health and quality of life are more impactful.

With Taiwan Girls Day’ on Sunday, the agency encourages girls to learn the health risks of tobacco and nicotine products and to make healthy choices for themselves.

Empowering girls requires building their knowledge, skills and confidence, it said, adding that by fostering health literacy early, girls would be more capable of protecting their own health when faced with peer pressure, external environment factors and aggressive marketing.

WHO research estimates 37 million children aged 13 to 15 use tobacco globally, the agency said, adding that the tobacco industry uses many tactics to target young customers, including using bright, stylish, high-tech product designs and aggressively marketing through social media and influencers.

When facing marketing messages such as “cute,” “trendy” or “everyone is using it,” girls should look beyond the packaging and not let it affect their health choices, it said.

Adolescence is a crucial stage for the development of the brain, lungs and the rest of body, the agency said, adding that the earlier one is exposed to nicotine, the higher the risk of addiction and continued use.

Girls should say “no” to their first try, and stay away from all cigarettes, e-cigarettes and other tobacco or nicotine products, it added.

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