Speaking of the negative effect of nicotine on the body, one cannot forget about the consequences of its action other than those associated with lung diseases. The following effects of smoking can be distinguished among them:
- cardiovascular diseases, including – primarily atherosclerosis, causing the narrowing of the lumen of blood vessels. This can in turn cause blood clots to form, leading to venous thrombosis and later to strokes and heart attacks;
- gastric ulcer disease – its development is obviously associated with the degradation of the mucous membranes as a result of contact with cigarette smoke;
increasing the likelihood of venous thrombosis in women who smoke and take birth control pills at the same time; - development of malignant tumors of organs such as the pancreas, kidneys and bladder.
The effect of nicotine on the body can also be noted in the appearance of the skin. The visible effects of cigarette smoking are of course the so-called smoker’s lines that appear around the mouth. Smoker’s wrinkles are caused not only by the repetitive movement of the lips, which is performed while inhaling cigarette smoke, but also by the direct influence of this smoke and by the hypoxia of the cells. Addiction to nicotine also leads to faster aging of cells as a result of the deepening of the oxidation stack, loss of skin firmness, changes in color (smokers’ skin is usually dry and dull) and an increased likelihood of discoloration. A clear effect of smoking is also yellowed fingers and fingernails – fortunately, this symptom disappears when the addiction is eliminated.