Smokers’ skin

Seborrheic acne Acne scarring Pigmentations Postinflammatory erythema Smoker skin... 

Smokers have been found to be at increased risk of sensitization by platinum salts. An historical perspective cohort study of 91 platinum refinery workers showed a four- to fivefold risk of developing a positive skin test to platinum salts in smokers. The risk of smokers developing symptoms was approximately twofold, and, among recent employees, the rate of development of a positive skin test result was faster in smokers versus nonsmokers. Smoking is thought to act by increasing the serum levels of IgE. In another report, 78 newly hired refinery workers were followed for 24 months platinum salt sensitivity developed in 41% of the new hires. Smoking was found to increase the risk of platinum salt sensitivity... 

Beryllium is an important metal alloy used in the nuclear power industry. Its presence in coal and oil results in more than 1250 tons being released into the environment annually from fuel combustion at power plants. Exposure is primarily from inhalation, but skin contact can result in dermatitis. Cigarette smokers also inhale a little beryllium. Initially, beryllium distributes to the liver, but ultimately is absorbed by bone. 

Smoking causes several cosmetic changes too. Tobacco stains teeth and fingers. Smoke odor on breath, clothes, and hair may be offensive to others. Smokers are nearly five times more likely to develop more and deeper skin wrinkles, and have a higher risk for baldness and prematurely gray hair. 

Rappaport and Hoffman (1941) reported the case of a male smoker who developed a severe skin... 

Unlike their counterparts in skin, the epidermal Lange-rhans cell (LC) population, respiratory tract DC populations display limited expression of intracellular Birbeck granules (Bg). These are found only occasionally in sections of normal lung tissue in mouse and human lung and airway tissue samples (Hanau etaL, 1985 Sertl etal., 1987 Soler et al., 1989) and are virtually absent in rat (P.G. Holt, unpublished). They are found in increased frequency in airway tissues of human smokers (Soler et 0.1., 1989), which suggests that Bg expression may require local stimulation for initial induction (Hanau et al., 1985). 

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