Can Smoking Weed Wreck Your Skin? Derms Reveal All

It's generally well-known that smoking—whether it be tobacco, weed, or anything else—can impact your health in numerous ways. But how exactly does smoking affect your skin? While some say that smoking a joint is "healthier" than indulging in a cigarette, the fact of the matter is there is no "safe" way to smoke—and both tobacco and cannabis impact your skin.

Licensed aesthetician Mel Lagares posted an informative thread on X that sparked conversations around the relationship between smoking tobacco and skincare, including how to combat the issues that can arise, ingredients to incorporate into your skincare routine to keep your skin clear, as well as what to avoid doing—which instantly made us curious about the effects of weed. Plus, with more and more states looking to legalize marijuana, this topic is more timely than ever. To find out more about how smoking marijuana (as well as tobacco and vaping) can impact skin, we spoke with board-certified dermatologists Papri Sarkar, M.D., and Lindsey Zubritsky, M.D., to get their expert opinion.

Meet the expert

• Papri Sarkar, M.D., is a board-certified dermatologist. She practices in Brookline, Massachusetts, and serves on the board of the New England Dermatologic Society.
• Lindsey Zubritsky, M.D., F.A.A.D., is a board-certified dermatologist at Premier Dermatology and Skin Cancer Center in Ocean Springs, Mississippi.

Keep reading to learn about the effects of smoking on skin.

How Smoking Affects Skin

Surely no one thinks smoking is good for your health, and Dr. Sarkar is here to emphasize that fact: Smoking is not only bad for your skin, but also for your heart, lungs, and other organs. "If you're smoking, definitely stop," she says. "Smoking affects the skin in multiple ways. It causes oxidative stress in the form of free radicals, like pollution can. It decreases the building of new collagen, it increases the destruction of existing collagen, it causes damage to elastin—one of the materials in the skin that helps it keep its shape or elasticity—and it helps to promote increased skin cancer."

Dr. Zubritsky doubles down on the harmful effects of tobacco in particular. "The ingredients in tobacco contain free radicals, which leads to oxidative stress in our body," she explains. "This can directly result in reduced blood flow and oxygen delivery to our cells as well as DNA damage. Without proper blood flow (a process called vasoconstriction), our cells cannot function properly."

Furthermore, smoking can cause premature aging. "Those who smoke are constantly decreasing their oxygen availability, which in turn leads to aging skin."

Dr. Lindsey Zubritsky

The more we purse our lips together, the more likely we are to develop smoker's lines.

— Dr. Lindsey Zubritsky

Smoking Tobacco vs. Weed vs. Vaping

According to Dr. Sarkar, it's hard to say whether one form of smoking is more harmful than another. She explains that while the effects of what smoking cigarettes does to the skin has been studied for decades, vaping, for example, is still quite new and not enough is known just yet.

"But there's definite info that shows burns—from explosion of the devices—and contact dermatitis or allergic reactions are occurring," she says. "The allergic reactions that have been seen are generally reactions to nickel." The nickel in vapes is usually found in the heating coil. So when users are inhaling the smoke, they're also getting a whiff of the metal as well.

When it comes to marijuana, it's kind of in the same boat as vaping. Meaning, there haven't been many studies on how it impacts the skin due to legalization being a recent phenomenon. However, allergic reactions, like hives, have occurred, says Dr. Sarkar.

VIDEO: Smoking More Weed Right Now? You Should Probably Read This

Skincare Routine for Smokers

"The effect of smoking is quite significant and it's really most important to decrease or stop smoking," Dr. Sarkar says. Talk to your doctor about how to get help with quitting.

While you're in the process of quitting, "we do have [skin] treatments that help somewhat," says Dr. Sarkar. For starters, both dermatologists recommend being extra diligent when it comes to sun protection and incorporating antioxidants like a vitamin C serum into your routine. "In addition, using moisturizers religiously can help to alleviate some of the dry skin that we see on the face, chest, neck, and hands" due to smoking, Dr. Sarkar says.

She also adds that laser resurfacing treatments and chemical peels can help reveal fresh new skin and a brightened complexion. And since beauty starts on the inside, Dr. Zubritsky recommends following a balanced diet and drinking plenty of water every day.

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