Which is worse for your skin ?

Festy wrote: »

Smoking,drinking or to much sun ? No chance of the last one in this country but I included it anyways :pac

Smoking I think
this is based on the smokers I know..... around their mouth they are destroyed with wrinkles and they have that yellow tinge off them !
Like wallpaper in a smokers room all yellow and dirty

Festy wrote: »

True,but with heavy drinkers they look flushed in the face 24/7.I don't know which looks worse tbh.

Yep u right both drinking and smoking constrict the blood vessel s to the skin
Then again it all depends on the person where they live exposure etc

Festy wrote: »

Smoking,drinking or to much sun ? No chance of the last one in this country but I included it anyways :pac

From growing up in more Southern climes (Germany), I would say too much sun is the worst.

You don't really see that here, but back home you get a certain type of middle aged women, usually with fairly affluent husbands, who definintely spent WAY too much time in the sun - on summer holidays, on skiing holidays, and on sun beds in between holidays. And the best way to describe their skin would be "wrinkly roast turkey". They look properly scary.

That said, smoking and drinking aren't great either.

Depends on the skin - I have psoriasis and excess sun is vey good for it. It would also depend on whether or not you weargin wearing good sun bloc. If not, sun. If so, smoking.

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

Smoking depends on how much you use the product, One third of tobacco smokers develop illness as a result of the habit.

Do you mean "One third of tobacco smokers develop illness as a result of the habit." or "One third of tobacco smokers develop a skin illness as a result of the habit. " becuase most smokers have some illness and it seems half of all smokers die from a smoking-related issue.

No matter whether you actually develop a more serious condition like lung cancer etc, smoking damages your skin, affecting blood flow and how much oxygen gets to the tissues etc. And the body concentrates on trying to cope with damage to the internal organs first, it's like a triage system in an A&E department, the skin is way down the priority list.

Actual doctors and dermatologists will all tell you that smoking is the no.1 worst thing for your skin, closely followed by too much sun.

Personally I wear sunscreen every day but then I've seen how much UV damage I already had by the age of 30 and it put the fear of god into me.

Wibbs wrote: »

While all are bad, I'd say sun exposure is the worst. Look at people with very dark skin, they have built in sunblock and as a result they get far fewer wrinkles than pale skinned people. The old "black don't crack" notion has a lot of truth in it. Genetics and gender play a part too. Men have thicker skin so damage takes longer to show.

Black people naturally have thicker skin, which I think would be a more important factor (as an analogy, which gets wrinkly first, a shirt or a jumper?). I know people who are out in the sun all day long and yet could pass for someone 10 or 20 years younger. They don't smoke, however.....

Reindeer wrote: »

Dunno bout you guys, but I can't remember ever having drank or smoked so much that my skin burned red and fell off.

The damage from smoking & drinking takes longer to be noticeable, but that doesn't mean it's not happening...once it's noticeable, it's too late to do anything about it without some serious cosmetic procedures

Festy wrote: »

Is it this guy ? If so,damn :eek:

Something dubious about this photo. There are thousands upon thousands of truck drivers driving around in the sun, do they all look like this? I doubt it

Legs.Eleven wrote: »

Is sunscreen enough to prevent skin damage? I live in a hot country and am nervous now...

Sunscreen and avoiding too much exposure on sunny days and/or the times of day when the sun's rays are strongest (11am-3pm) will see you right, provided you're a) using a high enough SPF and UV protection rating and b) applying enough of it - don't be trying to cover a whole arm with a 10c sized dollop.
The Irish Cancer Society has a guide to this, I think. I'm on an iPod touch so it's a bit tricky to insert a link here, sorry. But the things you should know are widely available on the intertubes

The protection factor you need will depend on what skin type/ethnicity you have. I think the ICS recommends factor 30 or higher for Irish people. Personally because I am very very pale and burn within five minutes of leaving the house, I use factor 50. But then my mum and all my aunties have had skin cancer, so I might be a bit overcautious.

If you do have to be out of doors between 11 and 3 you might want to wear a hat. At the very least wear good quality polarised sunglasses because the skin around your eyes is much thinner and more delicate than elsewhere.

I personally don't think that moisturisers or foundations with built in sun protection are enough because you're unlikely to be putting enough on to give you proper protection. It's better to use a seperate sunscreen IMO.

If you are a person who wears makeup and you want your sunscreen to play nice with your foundation, I have always found that the Chanel sunscreen (I can't remember the proper name) works as an excellent base for liquid foundations. it's factor 50, good quality protection.

There was another one I used to use before I heard recommendations for the Chanel one, and it was also good and possibly a wee bit cheaper. I can't remember the brand because I'm a spa. Sorry. But what I'm getting at is, there are a few different options on the market nowadays.

Finally, if you wear mineral makeup it acts as a physical sunblock, which is good. It also has the advantage of not melting off your face in the sun. It tends to suit people with oily/combination skin best. If you want to try it don't get Bare Minerals, it's crap. I use LilyLolo, it's much better.

Sorry for the novel. I need a lie down after typing all that WITH MY THUMBS I HOPE IT DOES SOMEBODY SOME GOOD;)

Latchy wrote: »

Smoking and drinking will defo make your skin more haggard and aged looking .

Drugs too. If you want to see a testament to clean living, see the last Led Zeppelin live performance, Celebration Day. John Paul Jones (who stayed away from the excesses of his colleagues) looks about half the age of either Page or Plant

Reindeer wrote: »

The sun is, by far, the worst. Just ask any doctor.

That's exactly what I've been saying

Reindeer wrote: »

You live in Ireland, so this question is basically moot.

How so? Does Ireland have some kind of special UV filter in our airspace that we haven't been told about? Is it a conspiracy or something? Cause my tinfoil hat is at the drycleaners, they said it wouldn't be ready until Wednesday, maybe we should discuss it then?

--Kaiser-- wrote: »

Except for, you know, battery acid and....lots of stuff.

I'm not saying everyone should lay out in the sun for hours but this kind of scare-mongering isn't needed for a country that's likely to be full of people with low vitamin D levels (which is an indicator for cancer and lots of other diseases, donchaknow)

Well to be fair Kaiser we only need 5-15 minutes of sunlight exposure to the face and hands, 2-3 times a week to get our Vitamin D. We can also get it in our diet.
The country is not full of people who are low on Vitamin D.

What it is full of is people who will get skin cancer in the next year, because skin cancer is actually the most common cancer in Ireland. Most cases are treatable if caught early, but I hardly think you can reasonably call educating people about it "scaremongering".

Far from there being some kind of mass hysteria and panic over skin cancer, most people are very ill-informed about the actual facts.

starling wrote: »

Well to be fair Kaiser we only need 5-15 minutes of sunlight exposure to the face and hands, 2-3 times a week to get our Vitamin D. We can also get it in our diet.
The country is not full of people who are low on Vitamin D.

What it is full of is people who will get skin cancer in the next year, because skin cancer is actually the most common cancer in Ireland. Most cases are treatable if caught early, but I hardly think you can reasonably call educating people about it "scaremongering".

Far from there being some kind of mass hysteria and panic over skin cancer, most people are very ill-informed about the actual facts.

Scaremongering is exactly what I'd call telling fair-skinned people that the Sun is the 'worst thing for them' (a preposterous statement). A study of Irish athletes (most who would be outside more than average) showed 70% were low in vitamin D, which is a pretty serious condition seeing as it's one of our most important vitamins (more like a hormone, in fact). You can get it from your diet but you'd have to be eating an awful lot of fish to get the same amounts from 10 minutes of exposure to the sun.

And if we're talking about cancer, the most common type is non-melanoma skin cancer, which is easily treatable and usually appears where the skin has been exposed to the sun. Melanoma skin cancer is a lot more dangerous and usually appears where there has been no sun exposure. Low vitamin D levels are also associated with serious cancers such as the breast, prostate, bowel and lung varieties

starling wrote: »

A preposterous statement that no-one's made.

Reindeer wrote: »

If you are fair-skinned, the sun is the worst thing for it.

Pay attention.

OP asked which is worse for your skin, smoking, drinking or the sun.
Answer: Smoking is worst, closely followed by sun.
Since many people are unaware of just what the risks are regarding sun damage, which includes but is not limited to skin cancer, telling them the facts cannot reasonably be considered scaremongering.

What facts? 'Stay out of the sun, you'll get cancer, dur!'