WHEN YOUR FACE GOES TO POT

With more and more states legalizing the use of recreational marijuana, more and more of our SKINFIVE clients ask what this might mean for the state of their skin. 

There’s no question that drug abuse (and that goes for alcohol too) wreaks havoc in skin in all sorts of nasty ways.  But what about the occasional recreational use of drugs, particularly marijuana? Any danger there?

As it happens, tetrahydrocannabinol (aka THC), the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, is a potent anti-inflammatory that has been shown to help reduce inflammation – the culprit behind everything from redness to multiple signs of aging – in skin tissue.

Burning question

This all comes with an important caveat, however, and that regards the delivery system. Anything burning near the face that produces smoke – from hand-rolled joints to bong hits – also produces harmful nano particles that can absorb into the skin and trigger a free radical cascade of tissue degenerating oxidation.  In plain English, this means it’ll speed up the signs of aging. Also, anything producing smoke or vapor going to cause the eyes to squint (hello crow’s feet) and the mouth to pucker (hiya prune lines around the lips). So if you are going to partake, I would suggest sticking to edibles or oils.

This brings us to the last issue and that is cravings brought on by the dreaded munchies. As strains become increasingly more potent, so too do the munchies punches they deliver. Those après-indulgence fast food, sweet treats and sugary snacks can be truly terrible for your skin for causing acne and inflammation if you are so inclined. While I suppose it is possible, I’ve never heard anyone say, “Oh I was so high last night I just couldn’t stay away from the celery sticks!” I’m afraid I don’t know a way around this but consider yourself warned before looking in the mirror in the weeks and months to come as you just say, “Oh no!”

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