Smoking and your skin

It is wise to avoid smoking, if for no other reason than that it damages the appearance of the skin. (although there are other, even better, reasons aswell!) Cigarette smoke and tar deprive the skin of the nutrients and oxygen it needs for good health, ultimately leaving it looking dull and lifeless. They lead to the formation of harmful free radicals and weaken the collagen and elastin fibres, with the result that the skin becomes prematurely wrinkled.

A 1965 study first identified what came to be known as "smokers face" - gray, pale and wrinkled skin. And in more recent years, much research has focused on this area and it's now widly accepted that the skin of smokers is damaged by smoking making them look older than non-smokers. In fact, the Chief Medical Officer of the UK recently highlighted the link between smoking and skin damage saying that smoking adds between 10-20 years to your natural age.

Can the damage be reversed?

There's no doubt you won't be able to completely reverse the damage that smoking has done, but with a good diet, skin supplements and great anti aging skin care you can do a lot to get your youthful skin back.  What you will do if you quit smoking is stop the damage getting any worse. Why wait and then quit later when even more damage has been done to your skin?

 When you look at your skin remember that some damage won't appear until ten to twenty years after you began to smoke.  So if you haven't been smoking that long and you don't see much damage yet – don't assume it won't happen.  

The important thing for your skin and your looks is to stop inflicting continued damage on yourself.  If you quit smoking now you will stop your skin aging any faster than it normally would.  And with proper anti aging skin care and nutrition your skin will look much better into the future than it will do if you carry on as a smoker.

Nails Inc answer the 5 most commonly asked nail questions

My nails are very weak and bendy and I find it hard to not peel back the layers when they separate. What can I do?

Firstly if you have very soft nails you should use a nail hardener like nails inc. brixton. This is an amazing treatment that actually acts like glue to keep the layers of the nail together which will mean that you won't be able to peel them any more!


The best way to use this is to paint a new coat on everyday for a week to build it up to 7 coats. At the end of the week remove with a re-hydrating nail varnish remover such as nails inc. two-phase varnish remover. This will keep moisture in the nail bed, which is essential to stop it from becoming dehydrated and brittle. Do this for 4 to 6 weeks to really see stronger and longer nails.


I’m a die hard nail biter. How can I stop?

The first thing to do, no matter how short your nails are, is to have a professional manicure. When you see how great your nails can look this will reduce the temptation to bite, as you won't want to ruin their appearance. Try to have one at least once a fortnight to keep you on track!


Keep a nails inc cuticle oil pen in your bag or pocket – try nails inc caviar oil pen or nails inc vitamin e oil pen. Every time you think you are going to bite, apply some of this on your nails and fingertips. It smells amazing but tastes awful! Also the action of massaging the oil into your nail will stimulate the circulation of the blood to this area. This will make your nails grow more rapidly, strongly and healthily.



I don't always have enough time (or money) to get my infills done every fortnight. How can I make them last longer?

The best thing to do is to have an aftercare kit at home. This contains all the essential products that you need to keep your extensions in good repair so that you can look after them in between visits to the salon.


In addition to this nails inc offer an amazing product called Harley street. If you paint this in the gap of your grow out and then another coat over the top it will give your nails the extra support to go another 2-4 days extra between your infills. It also means that you can repaint your nails and you won't have the tell tale 'step' line that happens when you don't get your infills done regularly.


I can never paint a French manicure on myself. Any tips to help me?

The best advice we can give you is to actually try to get varnish on your fingertip when you paint French - otherwise you will paint the white line too far down the nail bed making it look very thick and un-natural.


My nails have recently become very brittle and are flaking. Why this is and what can I do?

This could be from a large number of reasons including diet, stress, illness or a change of medication to the nail simply being dehydrated. The main thing to do is to get moisture and nourishment back in the nail bed and to put a protective layer on them so that they do not shatter or flake to only one layer. A and e is still ideal product for your type of nails. This is a protein and vitamin treatment designed to be painted on everyday for week to protect the nail and put back all the nourishment that is missing. use this for 4 to 6 weeks in conjunction with a twice-daily application of nails inc. cuticle oil and regular application of angel hand cream should get your nails back on track in no time!