Chronic and Acute Effects of Cigarette Smoking on Skin Blood Flow

Abstract

A laser Doppler flowmeter was used to assess blood flow changes in habitual smokers, as compared with nonsmokers, where members of both groups were young and healthy. Acute and chronic effects of cigarette smoking were measured by using the cutaneous postischemic reactive hyperemia test. Basic flow was recorded in four sites: forehead, postauricular, forearm, and finger. Recovery time from reactive hyperemia was longer in habitual smokers than in nonsmokers. Peak flow during reactive hyperemia was significantly lower after smoking. Basic blood flow during smoking did not show significant variation in the sites tested. The authors conclude that skin microvasculature is influenced by acute and chronic effects of cigarette smoking in young subjects; they discuss some of the possible mechanisms and their implications.

Introduction to skin aging

“…Mechanisms of UVR-induced and accelerated aging are discussed later in this review. The second most important driver of extrinsic aging is cigarette smoking [24][25][26][27][28] .…”

Smoking and Skin Aging in Identical Twins

“…The nicotine found in cigarettes increases the level of vasopressin in the blood, 19,20 which in turn causes peripheral vasoconstriction and a proposed local dermal ischemia. [19][20][21] Postischemic reperfusion is a well-known source of reactive oxygen species (ROS); in addition, cigarette smoke compounds generate ROS. 22,23 Reactive oxygen species are thought to be a major component of UV injury and photoaging.…”

The impact of chronic smoking on rectal mucosal blood flow

“…In the present study we observed significant lower baseline values of rectal MBF at the posterior and anterior commissure of the rectum in smoking patients. In contrast to these findings, other authors did not observe any difference in baseline values in smoking patients [20,[24][25][26]. Clinical evidence of an effect on colonic mucosa by chronic tobacco use is rather conflicting.…”