Does Weed Age You?

How Using Marijuana Products Can Affect the Aging Process

You might be smoking cannabis in a state that’s legalized but recently noticed premature skin aging. Does weed age you? New studies have been asking the same thing, with researchers digging into how smoking weed affects your skin health and your body on a cellular level.

The Purpose Healing Center team has been following the study of epigenetic aging. Studies are looking into whether DNA expression changes (but not the DNA itself) happen faster than usual because of some environmental factors, including smoking marijuana.

If you have wondered about changes to your appearance, the damage from cannabis consumption might actually be more than skin deep. Please keep reading to learn how cannabis smoke can degrade both skin health and cause other bodily systems to age prematurely.

Epigenetic Aging and Consumption

Your DNA remains the same throughout your entire lifetime. However, gene expressions can change, a process called epigenetics. Some environmental triggers, including cannabis use and other substances, can lead to an accelerated epigenetic aging process. That acceleration in age can lead to someone developing age-related diseases, including Alzheimer’s, heart disease, and some cancers.

One NIH study even shows that marijuana use can cause shortened telomeres – shrinking the protective caps on the ends of chromosomes prematurely as we age. Shorter telomeres equal a faster biological aging process. More research is underway to conclusively establish these findings.

The Impacts When You Age Faster on a Genetic Level

An accelerated aging process means that your biological systems, which include the heart, brain, and skin, wear out faster than they should. It may look on the outside like:

• Premature aging of the skin cells, leading to wrinkles, lines, and skin conditions
• Memory problems or brain fog
• More frequent chronic illness
• Hormonal imbalances, depending on biological sex
• Fatigue; loss of energy

These are generally considered typical signs of aging; however, these signs of premature aging may present earlier as long-term effects of cannabis.

Cannabis Smoke Can Influence Aging, Just Like Tobacco Smoke

Smoking cannabis puts air pollution toxins similar to those in tobacco smoke or air pollution into your body and can stay in your system for several days. These pollutants  include tar, carbon monoxide, and some cancer-causing compounds. Just like cigarette smoking, cannabis smoke can damage the blood vessels, heart, and mouth and lead to overall health declines.

All of these can make you age faster from the inside out. It’s also important to point out how premature aging can occur whether you’re smoking directly or inhaling secondhand marijuana smoke.

What About Non-smokers’ Cannabis Products?

Some people may use edibles, gummies, tinctures, or vaping to avoid the lung damage that comes from marijuana smoke. While that helps avoid the harmful compounds involved in smoking weed, it doesn’t remove the risks of accelerated aging altogether.

THC still enters the bloodstream with these alternative consumption methods – even when just consuming edibles. So its effect on brain function, inflammation, and metabolism may still influence aging.

Cannabis Consumption and Your Skin Health

While smoking weed – and inhaling secondhand marijuana smoke – can cause epigenetic changes, the most visible sign of long-term cannabis exposure impacts how a person’s skin ages. Cannabis smoke can affect your hormones, inflammation levels, and circulatory system – each of which can cause a less youthful appearance to the skin.

The chemicals associated with cannabis use damage the skin cells because they damage blood vessels and reduce oxygen flow to the skin. Skin health issues that may appear on the surface include:

• Dull complexion
• Dry skin and red patches
• Loss of skin elasticity (it doesn’t bounce back like it used to)
• Dark circles under the eyes
• Wrinkles
• Some loosening of the skin
• Lines around the mouth

These are signs of damaged skin cells. Most know they’ll experience these skin health changes due to age. But right now, stopping marijuana use can reverse some of the damage and improve skin health.

After stopping use, anti-inflammatory topical products with anti-aging benefits can help reduce redness of the skin. It may also plump the skin cells back up to reduce those wrinkles and dryness.

Widely Recognized Benefits of Cannabis Cessation

We’ve touched on the apparent benefits of cannabis cessation in terms of skin health. But how else can smoking cessation benefit your well-being?

Improve Brain Health and Mental Focus

Users who stop smoking pot often say they can think more clearly, have better focus, and have a sharper memory. THC interacts with your body’s endocannabinoid system, which can lead to adverse effects on mood, memory, and cognitive functions.

Over time, lifetime cannabis use can disrupt short-term memory as well as motivation. So, as the brain rebalances its neurotransmitters after stopping cannabis use, cognitive function becomes more stable. That process can take up to 90 days.

A Weed-Free Healthy Lifestyle Can Mean Better Sleep

Like alcohol dependence, some people mistakenly believe that marijuana use supports better sleep. While its initial effects may help someone relax and fall asleep, it actually disrupts the sleep cycle. Smoking marijuana especially has negative effects on the REM sleep cycle, which the body needs for better memory and to regulate moods.

After quitting marijuana use, many people start experiencing deeper, better sleep within a few weeks – a central factor for healthy aging.

Healthier Lungs and Heart

Going smoke-free reduces the exposure to combustion byproducts similar to those in tobacco smoke. As mentioned earlier, smoking cannabis-derived products still exposes you to carbon monoxide and tar. These can be especially hard on people with prior health problems, including high blood pressure, asthma, or circulatory diseases.

Mental Health and Motivation

After stopping marijuana use, dopamine levels begin to stabilize. Most people start to feel more emotionally and mentally balanced and motivated to pursue goals. Mood swings and certain personality traits return to normal. This stabilized state makes it easier for someone to reach their goals and feel better about their achievements.

Quitting Cannabis Use or Alternative Consumption Methods

Detoxing from marijuana use or quitting cannabis derived compounds doesn’t mean you have to feel miserable. In fact, you can feel well again with a few small habit changes.

Here are tips to support you while walking out of the cloud of cannabis smoke:

• Focus on foods that reduce inflammation: Eat anti-inflammatory foods like leafy greens, berries, and unsaturated fats. Because these foods reduce inflammation, they can help your body recover faster.
• Understand the causal role of cannabis and cigarette smoking: Smoking weed and cigarettes can lead to numerous negative effects on your body. Giving it up may cause anxiety, insomnia, or other forms of stress. This awareness doesn’t make quitting easier, but it does help you make informed choices about a healthy lifestyle.
• Staying hydrated: Drinking water is the easiest way to start flushing the toxins out of your body. It also helps reduce headaches and starts to help improve the skin aging that has resulted from cannabis or cigarette smoking.
• Consider other factors: Withdrawal symptoms from cannabis can become worse due to stress, a lack of daily routine, or social triggers. If you live in a small city or rural area with few support options, try a 12-step meeting or SMART Recovery to help stop smoking.
• Be patient with your body: Your brain and endocannabinoid system will need a little bit of time to return to a stable state. The more cannabis smoke you’ve been around, the longer it takes.

Call Purpose Today for Help Quitting Marijuana

Early research strongly suggests that cannabis smoke actually does make you age faster. Smoking leads to physical changes on a genetic level: skin aging, inflammation-related diseases, and other conditions that cause you to age faster.

But marijuana use can also cause mental and behavioral health issues, including depression, paranoia, and anxiety. If you are ready to stop smoking but can’t give up cannabis without professional support, the Purpose Healing Center staff is here to help.

We are a Joint Commission-accredited treatment facility with locations in Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona. We’ve supported countless people as they confronted their struggles with marijuana, alcohol, and other drugs.

Our evidence-based treatment methods will be customized to treat your specific needs. We take a holistic approach that will help you quit smoking weed but also addresses the physical factors of marijuana, including skin aging.

We’re ready to get your insurance approved and help you see firsthand how good a smoke-free way of life can feel. Call us confidentially today.