Smoking effect on skin wrinkling in the aged population

Objectives  Smoking causes premature wrinkling and is one of the more potent risk factors for atherosclerosis. The aims of the present study were to verify: (i) whether there is a difference between the wrinkling appearance in aged smokers and the nonsmoking population; and (ii) whether the systemic effects of smoking, such as atherothrombotic disease and cerebrovascular disease, are associated with a more striking appearance of wrinkling. Participants  Eighty volunteers (mean age, 76 years) were included in the study, 40 of whom were smokers and 20 of whom had suffered a stroke. Results  The mean value of the wrinkling score measured for the smokers' group (stroke and nonstroke) was significantly higher than that for the nonsmokers' group (analysis of variance, ANOVA; P < 0.01). There was no significant difference between the smokers who had suffered from stroke and smokers who had not. Conclusion  The study indicated that prominent facial wrinkling was significantly more common among smokers than nonsmokers, not only in the relatively young but also among the aged population.