A drug addict’s skin shows all the symptoms of substance abuse, and when you see a drug addict, you will be able to tell that he uses it by the way he looks.
Don’t get us wrong. Even decked-up people and regular office goers also smoke drugs, but they are too uptight and don’t show the symptoms too often.
However, if you have been using drugs for long, your skin is bound to show some symptoms.
On the other hand, long-term drug use is prone to show several problems on the heart, kidney, liver, and other body parts, but addicts don’t bother about them much until they have red and black marks popping on their skin.
If you check the alcohol detox treatment in Austin, you can identify how impactful drug abuse is and how it can make your appearance speak for you. This is why today we will talk about the top effects of drug abuse on skin health and complexion.
Table of Contents
7 Effects Of Drug Abuse On Skin Health
The concept of drug abuse and poor skin health are correlated. When you abuse drugs, your skin complexion and hydration worsen, and you don’t want that. So, let’s talk about the 7 effects of drug abuse on skin health:
1: Skin Color Changes
The more drugs you take, the more hyperpigmented your skin becomes. As a result, you will see dark spots appearing on your skin, especially at the spots where you inject the needles.
Your skin will also seem washed out, pale, and dry because it will lose its moisture. This is because when you take too many drugs, your skin loses its natural supple effect.
Thus, the usual color of the skin changes and becomes darker. However, not all drugs cause this effect. For example, your skin color will change noticeably if you are addicted to antimalarials, psychotropic drugs, amiodarone, tetracyclines, heavy metals, cytotoxic drugs, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
2: You Will Have More Acne
If your face has a greater propensity to drugs, you will have more acne. If you already have acne, drug addiction will make it worse.
Your skin will become a victim of restricted blood flow and poor hygiene because too much drug consumption will make your skin less hydrated. On top of that, when you are under the influence of drugs, your skin also becomes more gashed out.
You may feel the need to pick up your skin pores, and that will make your skin dry. Hence, the chances of your face bursting out with acne is pretty common when you are under the influence of drugs.
3: Scars And Sores Will Appear
Drug addicts may feel there are insects crawling beneath their skin, which may force them to pick on their skin and carve it out. It sounds horrifying, but you cannot imagine what that sensation feels like if drugs have not influenced you.
On top of that, injectable drugs like heroin and cocaine, alongside methamphetamine, also cause sores and scars on your skin.
You may not realize it until it’s too late and you stop caring about your appearance anymore. But, unfortunately, once you know it, there are no beauty tips that will help you bring back the natural glow of your skin.
4: Skin And Tissue Infection
Intravenous drug use often causes skin and tissue infections. It is a bacterial infection where the skin under the fatty layer becomes infected with too much needle use.
You will have swelling and red spots on the skin if it happens. Unfortunately, many people who use unprotected needles during drug injections become victims of this skin disease.
This infection is pretty dangerous because it only progresses further and does not heal. Over a certain time, when it gets worse, your immunity system also suffers, and your body fails to combat infection.
5: Skin Inflammation
Drugs can cause itching, irritation, redness, and swelling on the skin, especially near the injection site. When you use a combination of medications, it also causes skin inflammation. It is a sign of immune response, and the cause of inflammation may be acute.
However, skin inflammation is not only exclusive to drug addiction. Even when doctors recommend prescription medicines to us, and it does not suit our skin pH, there are inflammatory effects visible.
The skin infection may also be chronic such as psoriasis. It usually starts as a red, itchy spot but goes on to become warm pimples that cause a burning or stinging sensation.
6: Oral Ailment
The oral ailment in lip and gum skin is caused by inflammation, resulting in dryness and cracked nature.
Drugs are always harmful to the body, and when people intake methamphetamine, they tend to have meth mouths. It means their oral skins become too dry and have poor teeth health.
It can cause tooth decay and gum disease, and it can also cause mouth sores. In addition, the acid coat of drugs spoils the enamels of your teeth, and that also causes yellow spots to appear on the teeth.
7: Blotches And Wrinkles
Drug addicts also have plenty of creases and spots on the skin. In addition, there are many stimulants such as Ritalin, cocaine, heroin, and pain relievers that cause skin problems and nutritional problems.
When your skin is malnourished and dry, drug addiction worsens it. There are many that even make the patient fail to eat regular meals, and that causes wrinkles and fine lines on the skin.
It means when you have a drug addiction, your symptoms of aging increase, and you often look older than you actually are.
Conclusion
Are you still with us? It means you have understood the impacts of drugs on skin health and complexion. You will have too many spots and marks on the skin, and you won’t be able to look at yourself in the mirror anymore.
However, once you understand these impacts, we can hope that they will help you come back in the right direction. So, if you want more information on that, feel free to get in touch with us in the comment section. We will get back with a reply shortly.
