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J. Soc. Cosmet. Chem., 48, 235-242 (September/October 1997) Effect of cigarette smoke on skin NEELAM MUIZZUDDIN, KEN MARENUS, P. VALLON, and D. MAES, Estee Lauder Companies, Melville, NY. Accepted for publication October 31, 1997. Synopsis Epidermal barrier quality, skin wrinkling, and skin dryness were compared among groups of active smokers, passive smokers, and non-smokers. Epidermal barrier quality was assessed via transepidermal water loss (TEWL). Skin dryness was measured by digital image analysis of corneocytes that had been removed from skin by tape strippings, and the degree of skin wrinkling was estimated by digitized image analysis of Silflow replicas of the periorbital area. Data obtained from this particular population indicated that active smokers had poorer barrier quality, more wrinkles, and drier skin than non-smokers. Passive smokers presented the same degree of skin barrier damage and skin dryness as active smokers. Sun exposure appeared to play a larger role in the enhancement of skin damage than chronological aging factors, especially in combination with chronic cigarette smoke exposure. Chronic smoke exposure appeared to contribute equally or more than sun exposure to deterioration of barrier quality and the degree of wrinkling. INTRODUCTION Cigarette smoke is still a widespread contaminant in the human environment and has significant health implications for the active smoker (1). Environmental cigarette smoke is a dynamic mixture of sidestream and exhaled mainstream smoke resulting from combustion of tobacco products. It is a complex system, consisting of thousands of compounds, many of which are known carcinogens, cocarcinogens, or tumor promotors (2-4). Smoke also contains numerous free radicals, both in the tar and the gas phases (4,5). Due to their highly reactive nature, these species have potentially damaging effects on the skin surface when interacting with unsaturated intercellular lipids and the membranes of keratinocytes (6,7). Since the frequency of exposure to tobacco smoke is still high and the link between smoking and skin wrinkling is well established (8,9), the effects of such exposure on epidermal barrier function was examined. The results indicate that those exposed to cigarette smoke, either through active or passive smoking, demonstrate significant deficiencies in epidermal barrier function as well as increases in overall surface dryness and wrinkling. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study involved measurements of epidermal barrier function in a total of 100 vol- 235