Smoking and wrinkles: Does it matter?

The association of smoking with wrinkles begs the question, 'So what?' Even though physicians may be much more impressed with the fatalities and disabling events caused by smoking than by the 'minor' effects like wrinkles, it is important to remember that the opposite may be true for our patients. We also need to remember that we must tell our patients about the benefits of quitting, not just the hazards of smoking. When we describe the hazards of smoking and the benefits of quitting in terms that they understand, we can expect that our patients just might follow our advice to quit.