Dictionary definition of “smoker’s face”

smoker’s face

n. a physiognomy deteriorated by habitual tobacco smoking Subjects: English, Body, Health, Medical, Slang

Etymological Note: Coined by Dr. Douglas Model.

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Citations: 1985 Robert Glass (AP) (Dec. 20) “Doctor Says Cigarettes Can Cause ‘Smoker’s Face’”: Cigarette smoking can lead to “smoker’s face,” a wrinkled, weary, haggard look that will give you away every time, a British doctor says. In an article published Friday in the British Medical Journal, Dr. Douglas Model, a specialist in general medicine at Eastbourne District General Hospital, said his findings could be important in anti-smoking campaigns. 1996 Jane E. Brody New York Times (June 19) “Smoker’s face: another reason to quit the habit” p. C9: The doctor could tell the patient had once been an attractive woman. But now, though only in her 50’s, her face was etched with wrinkles, her features gaunt-looking with prominent underlying bones and her skin shriveled and gray with purplish blotches. Diagnosis: smoker’s face. 2004 Business Times (Singapore) (May 15) “Eat your way to healthier skin”: The term “smoker’s face” was coined in the mid-80s, when studies showed that smokers tend to have similar facial characteristics: Prominent lines and wrinkles from the corners of the eyes ("crow’s feet"); sunken cheeks; wrinkle lines perpendicular to the lips; drawn, taut skin that has lost its elasticity; a mottled, slightly reddened, orange and purple complexion or a grey, unnatural pallor.

Posted 15 May 04 | Permalink | Tell a Friend

Reader comments:

my ma smokes. if you’re a ma. quit. and if it’t too difficult to quit for your kids, quit for yourself.
-unimportant daughter

by Jennifer Monthez 18 Jan 08, 0237 GMT