Drug addiction! It takes some serious tolls both on your mental and physical health. Along with some severe physical symptoms, substance abuse also causes severe skin issues. You might not know how your skin issues are related to your substance-abusive behavior or your addiction.
In some cases, you might be using prescription drugs or have gotten addicted to prescription drugs and get all the skin-related effects of substance abuse. One of the major reasons can be poor self-care among substance abuse.
The only way to get rid of all these is opting for a recovery treatment program from a certified rehabilitation center, like Ocean Recovery – Orange county treatment program.
Why Does Drug Abuse Affect Our Skin?
We all know how greatly substance abuse hampers both the physical and mental health of those addicted individuals. The major health concerns mostly include different types of cancers, lung and heart problems, anxiety, depression.
But, when it comes to skin, what effects substance abuse can cause. We do not often acknowledge the common and usual effects of drug addiction on our skin. However, the largest organ of our body is our skin.
Just the way out, kidneys and livers are no anymore immune to drug addiction or substance abuse; our skin is also not. The overall impairments caused by drug abuse affect the body, spirit, and mind.
Why Do Drugs Cause Skin Problems?
Throughout a number of different methods, drug abuse can be the reason for skin problems. Dehydration can result in flaky and dry skin, which also encourages scarring through skin picking infections, and promotes inflammation and acne breakouts.
On the basis of the drug that an individual is abusing and also the length of the overall time period for which the individual is indulged in substance abuse, the skin problems usually vary. They can be mild, moderate, or severe.
Some Common Effects Of Substance Abuse On The Skin
In case you are thinking about the signs that substance abuse is affecting your skin, here we are to guide you with that. Here are some of the most common effects of drug abuse on the skin.
Rashes, irritation, dryness, itching, redness, and inflammation.
Oral concerns, such as dry, cracked, inflamed, or swollen gums and lips. In some of the more severe cases, the long-term use of drugs can also result in tooth decay and possibly tooth loss.
- Hyperpigmentation or color changes.
- Open sores and scarring.
- New or worsening acne breakouts.
- Soft tissue and skin infections.
Effects Of Prescribed Drug Abuse On Your Skin
Here in this article, we are going to discuss the effects of prescribed drug abuse on your skin. Knowing these things will let you know when your skin issues are appearing due to your substance-abusive behavior.
Effect 1: Color
The more medications you will consume, the more traces will be visible on your skin. You might have heard of hyperpigmentation, where the skin darkens in different places. This mostly happens at the injection sites.
The skin on the face also might become pale, grey, or washed out after substance abuse for a longer period of time.
Effect 2: Oral Ailment
The skin of gum and lips also might become swollen and inflamed, as well as dry and cracked. Tooth decay and also possibly tooth loss are also some really common side effects of drug abuse. There is no doubt on the fact that drugs are harmful to the body.
Particularly methamphetamine can result in ‘meth mouth.’ This affects the skin and the entire month of an individual suffering from substance abuse.
Effect 3: Inflammation of the Skin
Drugs also can be the reason for irritation, redness, or itching, particularly near the injection site. The skin of the individual will often break out in a rash or also can become incredibly dry.
Due to a combination of medication and illegal or prescription drug abuse, irritation also might occur. Even when taking prescription medication advised by doctors, all these side effects also can be observed.
Effect 4: Acne
Almost every one of us has had acne in some of our lives. Substance addiction can make this thing worse. An individual who has never had a scene before can also develop extreme acne if the individual can become addicted to drugs.
This particular thing also can be linked to greater prosperity to touch the face of an individual while on drugs.
Effect 5: Scarring and Sores
Substance abuse victims can have hallucinations, for example, the sensation of crawling insects under their skin. In order to alleviate these types of feelings, substance abuse victims can pick or claw at the skin on their body and face.
This eventually results in scarring and sores. The arms of injection drug users develop permanent marks, which are also known as “needle tracks.”
Effect 6: SSTI Or Skin and Soft Tissue Infections
As a result of drug abuse, your immune system also becomes weakened. Infections of the skin can actually take a long time for healing. It becomes really difficult for your body to combat any type of infection.
In these scenarios, infections of the individual’s skin can take a really long time for healing and also can get worse. A number of individuals who inject drugs with the help of needles also get infections at almost every point. Over time it gets worse. Some other people notice the infections whole forth and also do not heal.
Effect 7: Rapid Ageing
All those powerful illicit drugs, such as heroin, are capable of decreasing the amount of oxygen that travels to the skin. For all those drug-related dry, flaky, itchy, and otherwise irritated skin, this is one of the most common reasons.
Along with a lot of oral health impairments, blemishes, rashes, bloodshot eyes, and all these skin symptoms can rapidly change your overall physical appearance. Among drug users, wrinkles are also really a common thing, which will make you look older than you actually are.
To Conclude
Your skin depends on your overall health, the things you are consuming. Just the way lack of water in your body causes dehydration and affects your skin, substance abuse or drug addiction also invites a lot of skin problems.