Consuming cannabis can have a direct impact on your skin, but depending on how you use it, it can either be positive or damaging. It’s an odd relationship, but one that can be better understood when you consider how cannabis is used. 

Using marijuana or marijuana products can impact your skin in two ways, based on how you consume it: internally when you smoke and inhale it or externally when you apply infused products on your skin. We’re not talking about topicals or tinctures, but rather cosmetic products that are infused with hemp. Upon looking into how cannabis can affect your skin, we’ve outlined the perks as well as the drawbacks that you should consider when deciding how best to take care of your skin.

Cannabis has various effects on the body that counteract others, particularly when it comes to your skin. Marijuana can boost the testosterone level in users, which can lead to the development of acne and unusual hair loss. Don’t let these effects scare you away from cannabis, though. Much like with too much of anything, you would have to ingest exorbitant amounts for these negative effects to become an issue.

The larger debate related to cannabis’ effect on the skin comes in the form of rapid aging. Cannabis has the potential to act as an anti-aging product, but only when infused in a cream or beauty product. Smoking cannabis, on the other hand, can result in rapid aging—the exact opposite of what you hope for. Collagen, a structural protein responsible for your skin’s health, needs to be developed in order to keep your skin looking youthful. THC smoke blocks the development of these proteins, leading to your skin aging more quickly. This can be avoided by using a vaporizer, consuming edibles or choosing any other method of consumption that avoids combustion.

The real benefits of cannabis on your skin come when it's ingested without combustion or infused into lotions with hempseed oil. The cannabis family of plants contains antioxidants and anti-inflammatories that battle dry skin and rashes. The other perk of consuming cannabis? Less stress. By reducing stress you lower the likelihood of developing acne and other skin conditions. That along with a healthy diet can go a long way towards benefiting your skin.

When it comes to cannabis, the benefits of the plant normally outweigh the bad and skincare is no exception. By balancing your cannabis use, diet and other important practices, marijuana can go a long way towards contributing to your overall dermatological health.