In this day and age, most people know that smoking is inherently bad for them. Between increased risk of heart disease and the specter of lung cancer, there are plenty of grave medical concerns that are linked to this habit. However, if you love nothing more than to smoke a cigarette or two during a night out with the girls, or simply need that infusion of nicotine to get through a hectic work day, it gets harder and harder to forgo this habit based on the possibility of future health problems.

However, what if you could see the affects of aging every time you looked in a mirror? According to a press release from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), that could well be the case. Board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Bahman Guyuron led a team of colleagues in a study at the annual Twins Days Festival in Twinsburg, Ohio – which provided them with a perfect opportunity to analyze the effects of aging on individuals who are genetically identical.

The researchers reviewed the faces of various sets of twins to gauge any noticeable difference between smokers and nonsmokers, and found it all too easy to distinguish between the two.

“The smokers had more sagging of the upper eyelids, as well as more bags of the lower eyelids and under the eyes. Twins who smoked also had higher scores for facial wrinkles, including more pronounced nasolabial folds (lines between the nose and mouth), wrinkling of the upper and lower lips and sagging jowls,” the press release states.

If you are already concerned that smoking has taken a toll on your face, contact Miami plastic surgeon Dr. Christopher Craft today to explore your options. Keep in mind, though, that you will need to give up smoking prior to your procedure to facilitate the healing process.