Drug abuse and addiction cause a range of internal and external harm to the human body, including skin health and appearance. Substance abuse is often discussed for its harmful effects on mental health, cognitive function, and lifestyle habits, but let’s examine its direct and indirect impact on the skin.
The Internal and External Impact of Substance Abuse
The impact of drug abuse is often associated with its harmful effects on physical and psychological health. Substance abuse can lead to internal issues, including liver problems, heart disease, brain damage, and mental health disorders. While the list of the effects of drug abuse could go on and on, one particular effect is its harmful impact on the skin. The skin is the most visible and most significant organ of the body and is severely impacted by drug and alcohol abuse. In addition to their behavior and demeanor, you can identify someone with a drug addiction or substance use disorder (SUD) by the condition of their skin. Signs of drug use on the skin can include cutaneous fibrosis, skin scarring, granulomas, ulceration, pruritus, infections, cocaine-levamisole-induced vasculitis, tooth decay, and oral disease.
The Connection Between Drug Abuse and Skin Health
While drug abuse has a detrimental impact on psychological, physiological, and neurological health, its interconnectedness to skin health and appearance highlights the severity of one’s addiction.
Some of the signs of drug abuse on the skin include:
- Acne
- Skin sores
- Skin infections
- Abscesses and ulcers (from bacterial infections)
- Bluish and cold skin
- Skin necrosis
- Aging (premature wrinkles and loss of skin elasticity)
- Dull skin
- Hyperpigmentation
- Jaundice
- Steroid rosacea
- Psoriasis flare-ups
The harmful effect of drug abuse on the skin manifests through internal damage, direct toxic effects, infections, immune response, lifestyle factors, and psychological impact.
Toxic Effects of Drugs on Your Skin
Drugs, such as cocaine, meth, opioids, or steroids, can have direct toxic effects on the skin. For example, steroid abuse can cause the skin to break out with pimples and red areas or exacerbate existing acne conditions. The effects of methamphetamine (meth) abuse often cause users to constantly itch or pick at their skin as a result of hallucinations, leading to a risk of skin infections, sores, and scarring. Cocaine laced with levamisole, a veterinary dewormer, can lead to cocaine-levamisole-induced vasculitis and skin necrosis. Certain substances like nicotine and meth can speed up the aging process for users, leading to premature wrinkles and poor skin elasticity.
Drugs, Infection, and Immunity
Intravenous (IV) drug users heighten the risk of infections around their injection site. People who inject drugs (PWID) and share needles can transmit blood-borne infections that can lead to HIV, viral hepatitis, sepsis, and other bacterial and fungal infections. Blood-borne illnesses compromise the immune system, reducing the skin’s ability to heal and trigger skin infections. Other infections at the injection site may develop, including abscesses, gangrene, necrosis, and necrotizing fasciitis.
Poor Lifestyle Habits and Skin Damage
Drug abuse often leads to poor lifestyle habits and routines, which further exacerbates skin damage and poor skin health. Bad hygiene, poor dietary choices, malnutrition, and dehydration are common among individuals with drug addiction and substance use disorders (SUDs). Nutritional deficiencies and poor dietary habits in drug users can make the skin brittle, dry, and more susceptible to bruising. Neglecting personal hygiene and skin care can also facilitate acne breakouts, wrinkles, dry skin, uneven skin tone, loss of elasticity, and dull complexion. These lifestyle habits, alongside drug abuse, can lead to unhealthy-looking skin and skin damage while exacerbating chronic skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis.
Psychological Health and Drug Abuse
Individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs) or drug addictions often struggle with their mental and emotional health. Stress and anxiety, commonly associated with drug abuse, can facilitate the onset of acne breakouts and oily skin and worsen skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema. Mental health issues correlate with poor lifestyle choices like poor hygiene, substance abuse, and malnutrition, contributing to dermatological problems.
The Impact of Hormonal Imbalances on the Skin
Certain drugs affect the normal balance of hormones, leading to endocrine normalities, reduced hormone production, and changes in the regulation of the hormonal axis. The effects of substance abuse on the endocrine system lead to hormonal imbalances that can have a range of physical and psychological impacts on individuals. Drug misuse and abuse can affect cortisol levels, leading to heightened blood sugar levels and feelings of stress and anxiety.
Chronic drug use can disrupt the average production of dopamine and serotonin in the brain, contributing to mood disorders, mental health issues, and further drug abuse. Hormonal imbalances from drug use indirectly harm skin health and appearance.
Recovering from Drug Addiction and Improving Skin Health
The first step to improving the health of the skin from drug abuse requires professional drug detoxification and treatment. Drug detox allows the body to fully detox from any remaining substances, removing all toxins from the body. During the drug withdrawal process, increasing water intake is crucial for staying hydrated and facilitating the detox process. Hydrating the body benefits the skin by maintaining elasticity and moisture, leading to a healthier, more vibrant complexion. Addiction treatment programs offer nutritional support in rehabilitation, helping address dietary deficiencies and poor eating habits from drug abuse. A balanced diet contributes to skin repair and supports collagen production, leading to a healthier skin tone and overall appearance.
In drug and alcohol treatment, patients will receive mental health treatment to address their psychological well-being and improve feelings of anxiety or stress. Patients will feel motivated to adopt healthier lifestyle choices and routines throughout the addiction treatment process. This might include daily exercise, prioritizing hygiene, improving sleep habits, and caring for mental and physical health. Living a healthy life in recovery from drugs contributes to improved psychological, neurological, and physiological health.
Call Coastal Detox today for drug and alcohol detox in Stuart, FL.
References:
- Clinical Dermatology, 2021. The effects of alcohol and illicit drug use on the skin.
- Medical News Today, 2023. What are the effects of drug misuse?
- John Hopkins Medicine. Drug Rashes.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018. Persons Who Inject Drugs (PWID).
- PubMed, 1990. [Skin changes in drug-dependent patients].
- American Psychological Association, 2015. The link between skin and psychology.
- PubMed, 2007. Drug-induced endocrine and metabolic disorders.
- BioMedicine, 2021. Hormones can influence drug addiction-A narrative review.