Beyond Needle Marks - How Substance Abuse Affects Skin

Damage caused by substance abuse is becoming more and more difficult to disguise. You may see signs in yourself; you may see signs in someone you care about. Mirrors are rare. Your reflection will eventually reveal the burden you are working on very hard to conceal.

Substance Abuse

For those who are otherwise healthy, skin changes are often the first known indicator of substance use and abuse. This may explain why dermatologists are often the first medical professionals to recognize early signs of substance abuse.

For better or worse, your skin is a reflection of what's going on in your body. The chemicals that cause your addiction can affect your skin's ability to repair and heal. The effect is cumulative. Although substance abuse can cause your skin to have unhealthy and unhealthy tones, some types of substances are known to cause certain skin problems. Common skin concerns include:

• Infections

• Ulcers

• Vascular damage

• Mouth mouth

• Skin whitening

• Hyperpigmentation

• Breakouts

Accelerates the aging process with stimulants

If you are involved in any kind of stimulant, you have the potential to accelerate the aging process. Your heart beats faster, and your body has to work harder to keep up with the increasing demand. Under pressure, your body produces the stress hormone, cortisol. Cortisol damages collagen and elastin in your skin.

Collagen is the support structure in your skin. Elastin keeps your skin soft. When your body is under chemical dependence, loss of collagen and elastin will cause sagging beards, dilating eyelids, loose skin, wrinkles and deeper creases around your nose and mouth. In fact, the abuse of stimulants can make you look older. When you combine the effects of collagen loss with the potential weight loss and malnutrition associated with stimulant abuse, the acceleration of skin aging is noticeable.

The Scars and Scabs of Methamphetamine Use

The chemical imbalances and dehydration caused by the use of drugs, especially methamphetamines, can cause uncomfortable and irritating sensations on your skin. You may feel like you have a bug crawling on your skin and under its surface. Sensation can disturb him. You may respond by scratching or picking on your skin. Irritation leads to more scratching and picking. Repeated skin irritation and skin injury will cause a wound to heal slowly, or not at all. This cycle will remove your skin.

Slow sores to heal, blisters, lids, and cuts are some of the more common skin problems with methamphetamine use. Commonly called meth wounds or mites, these lesions occur most frequently on your face and arms.

Because methamphetamines also interfere with blood flow, wounds can appear anywhere in your body. Methamphetamines destroy the blood vessels, disrupting your body's ability to repair cell damage and can even cause skin to look slick.

Enhanced Use of Intravenous Drugs, Protruding or Damage

Many IV drugs are vasodilators that can also cause vasospasms. This means that the IV drug will cause your blood vessels to expand, but then contract quickly. Vasospasms interfere with your circulation, resulting in pain, swelling, skin ulceration, skin infections and blood clots.

About 88 percent of intravenous drug users will also suffer from chronic venous insufficiency. Lack of veins means a valve in your veins that keeps your blood vessels moving towards your heart is not closed properly. A fluid valve allows blood to flow back and forth to the veins. This causes enlargement of veins that can enlarge and rotate, varicose veins.

Serious venous insufficiency can also cause skin ulcers that are difficult to cure due to decreased circulation. This skin on your lower leg can break down and take a rough and scaly look. This is more than a cosmetic problem. Vaginal damage increases the risk of deep vein thrombosis (blood clots) and increases your risk of experiencing life-threatening pulmonary embolism (blood clots moving to the lungs).

Cellulitis As a consequence of Skin Popping

Although most of the microorganisms that live on your skin are harmless, they can cause harmful effects when they enter your body through the injection site. When veins become damaged by drug use, some IV drug users use skin that appears, injecting drugs under the surface. Emerging skin is associated with increased cellulitis, skin infections such as rash caused by staph or strep bacteria. Although this form of bacterial infection is not contagious, it forms a swollen, hot, red rash that spreads quickly.

Cellulitis requires immediate medical attention. If left untreated, this infection can enter your blood and lymph system. Cellulitis can cause chronic swelling in infected members, or worse. Although rare, cellulitis can destroy soft tissue, requiring surgery to remove damage.

Staph and Fungal Infections Due to Damage to the Immune System

Disorders of substance abuse interfere with your immune system. They make it difficult for your body to fight infections, which can lead to an increase in infections that your healthy immune system can eliminate before it can cause problems. You may find yourself exposed to fungal infections and fungal infections, especially in your feet, where fungus grows in damp environments. If you are exposed to psoriasis or eczema, you may find that your flare is more frequent and difficult to control.

Indicators of Alcohol Abuse Surveys

Skin whitening can be an indicator of alcohol abuse. Alcohol is a blood vessel dilator. Alcohol decomposes into acetaldehyde, which can cause histamine release, which is the same thing that can happen in the event of an allergy.

With long-term alcohol abuse, you can also see an increase in spider veins, small capillaries that rupture near the surface of your skin. Spiders are often most prominent on the face, neck, chest, arms, arms, and abdomen. Especially for those with liver damage.

Damage to your liver caused by alcohol dependence can also cause yellow, skin, and yellow eyes. This color change is an indication that you have excess bilirubin in your system. Your liver usually damages bilirubin, but its function is impaired by alcohol. When treated in the early stages, yellow fever due to alcohol-related liver disease can be improved.

Increase Severity of Breakouts and Acne

Due to the increase in the amount of cortisol produced under pressure; you may also find that your skin reflects internal struggles by breaking out. Cortisol increases inflammation; Acne is your skin's response to the causes of cortisol inflammation. Acne can also be corrected by the skin picking habits associated with meth use and the simple fact that addiction can cause you to ignore your basic skin care needs.

Drug and alcohol abuse can cause inflammation, malnutrition, and dehydration. It weakens your immune system and damages your blood vessels. Addiction attacks the body's ability to heal. Your skin reflects damage, while your brain, bones and internal organs continue to pay the price.

Returning your appearance may be sufficient motivation to get you, or keep you, on the right path to a drug-free lifestyle. It can't be. But when you conquer your addiction, you will see signs of your progress. You can be sure that better skin health is a visible indicator of healing.

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