Weed, grass, Mary Jane, pot... call it whatever you'd like, but marijuana has been around long before 1937's "Reefer Madness" warned of its (arguably overblown) deleterious effects.These days it's more common than ever, thanks in part to its medicinal uses.But are there beauty ramifications that come with the decision to smoke?We decided to find out.Whether or not lighting up is your thing, it doesn't hurt to know exactly what marijuana can do to your skin and appearance.So we spoke to two New York-based dermatologists, Dr. Bobby Buka and Dr. Ariel Ostad, and found out some surprising facts about America's most commonly used illicit drug.The THC in marijuana increases your testosterone levels... which could lead to acne.Let's start with the bad news.The most potent ingredient in cannabis, also known as marijuana, is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).When you smoke, vaporize or otherwise ingest it, there's an immediate increase in testosterone levels, says Dr. Ostad.As a result, these increased testosterone levels can cause your skin's oil glands to produce more sebum oil, which can lead to breakouts in people predisposed to acne.

People who are chronic users of marijuana can also experience hair loss on the scalp or even excess hair growth in other parts of their bodies due to this testosterone jump, Dr. Ostad adds."I have seen acne and hair loss," he says, "not a lot, but I've seen it."However, Dr. Buka says that the testosterone increase -- which is in the order of 3 to 5 percent -- is too marginal to cause a flare up of acne or unusual hair growth patterns."We're talking about buckets and buckets of weed," he says."Nothing any human could smoke."(We'll leave that judgement call to you.)Another thing to watch out for?Packing in sugar-filled snacks while using marijuana."There is a link between high-glycemic index foods and acne," he says."So you might draw the conclusion that people who get the munchies are eating more of those foods."Plus, the smoke can make your skin age more rapidly.Something both Dr. Ostad and Dr. Buka do agree on?The harmful effects of the marijuana smoke itself, which contains many of the same carcinogens as cigarette smoke (though studies have shown that THC actually protects against pro-carcinogens, unlike nicotine).

These hydrocarbons can inhibit cells that are chiefly responsible for making new collagen.Meaning: Exposing your skin to marijuana smoke can make it age more rapidly.The smoke from pot can also worsen skin conditions like psoriasis and rosacea, says Dr. Buka.But THC is also anti-inflammatory and an antioxidant, and it has potential anti-aging properties.Don't make a judgement call just yet -- more and more, people are discovering the upside of getting high.Even though THC may cause an increase in testosterone levels, it's also gaining a reputation as an anti-inflammatory agent and an antioxidant in the medical world.sapphyre voyager vaporizer reviewsSo while the actual smoke from marijuana can suppress collagen production, some studies have shown that the THC itself has anti-aging properties (thanks to those antioxidants, which neutralize the damaging effects of free radical oxygen particles).viking vaporizer parts

Dr. Buka even likens moderate weed consumption with drinking a glass of red wine.However, Dr. Buka notes, "The delivery system is really critical."He recommends using a vaporizer if you're dead-set on using marijuana and want to enjoy its supposed anti-inflammatory benefits, adding, "Even a bong would be preferable [to smoking]."(Remember: There is no fundamental difference between marijuana smoke and cigarette smoke when it comes to skin, according to Dr. Buka.)Additionally, Dr. Ostad points out that we naturally have THC receptors in our brains, which means that cannabinoids, the compounds present in cannabis, aren't foreign to our systems.vapage vpro vaporizer review"Those THC receptors actually can lead to increased production of neurotransmitters that make us feel better, like serotonin," he says.e cigarette villepinte

Indeed, neuroscientists who have looked into the connection between cannabis and depression have found that low doses of THC are associated with a drop in depressive symptoms.But it's important to note that too much can actually have the opposite effect.Dr. Buka adds that stress seems to have negative effects on skin conditions across the board -- including acne, eczema and rosacea -- and reducing that stress can be a critical step to clearing up skin."My pot smokers are by and large a mellower group of patients," he says.e cigarette citrus park mallStudies have also shown that cannabinoids can be used topically for the treatment of inflammatory skin diseases (though these studies have been done in mice, not people).e cigarette aciditeSo if you're going to smoke... If after weighing the pros and cons, you decide you'd like to reap the benefits of marijuana, choose your method wisely.herbalizer vaporizer 220v

Like we said, Dr. Buka recommends using a vaporizer to avoid the carcinogenic smoke of a marijuana cigarette.However, if you must smoke it, he suggests making sure your skin is protected as much as possible with a thick moisturizer (he likes the Ultra Repair Cream by First Aid Beauty).The bottom line: There are mixed philosophies when it comes to both the positive and negative effects of marijuana on the skin, so choose wisely -- and be mindful of your local laws.CLARIFICATION: This article was amended to reflect that marijuana smoke and cigarette smoke do not cause the same exact carcinogenic effect.vaporizer weston super mareBe sure to check out HuffPost Style on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest and Instagram at @HuffPostStyle.zema vaporizer dry herbMaybe the slow cultural acceptance of marijuana is tied to how ugly it looks when smoked.

Cigarettes and cigars will kill you, but damn if a century of media and marketing hasn’t made them look cool doing it.The face of pot, though, is my college roommate carving a bong out of a Dasani bottle.Or, on classy occasions, two adult friends taking turns sucking the trunk of an elephant-shaped, rainbow-colored glass pipe.Even vaporizers, the self-proclaimed smoking tech of the future, tend to look like something serendipitously broke loose from a costume at a Steampunk convention.Today's announcement of a flashy, golden Pax 2 changes the script.Pax was and still is the clear alternative.Though I must clarify here, Pax markets itself as a tobacco product.Anyway, for people who crave coolness as much as their next hit, Pax and its e-cig cousin Juul, are the more expensive, but markedly better-looking option.But as tends to happen with trends, with regards to the gizmo's design, the pendulum swung far in the opposite direction.Slim and polished, a Pax looks like it could be the original iPod Mini's fraternal twin.

Early models were purposefully subtle, as if explicitly constructed to be hidden in a sock drawer or over looked when traveling through airport security.Where other paraphernalia embraced an extravagant head shop chicness, a Pax and its even stealthier follow-up Pax 2, could disappear completely among the rest of one’s gadgets.At $280, the Pax 2 is an awfully expensive object to go unseen.For years, Pax has represented the pot for the normal person without normalizing pot.Pot smoking gone mainstream Over the past few months, Pax's new designs and promotions have been splitting the difference between the grungy past of pot smoking and the featureless present, and the aesthetic loop-de-loop may nudge pot smoking further into public eye.The result is what I can only call mainstream gaudy: cool, but also loud enough as to demand to be seen.Racked’s immensely talented Nicola Fumo captured the beginning of this shift in her piece "Pax Has Brilliantly Positioned Itself as Fashion’s Vaporizer."

The company has partnered with retailers like American Rag and Opening Ceremony along with festivals like SxSW and Coachella to get the device in front of fashionable folk who might use a vaporizer, if only they knew it existed.Whether the company will state as much explicitly, Pax's public appearances — be it on posters at festivals or in the hands of hip young folks — normalize marijuana paraphernalia, thus eroding in some part smoking's stigma.While fashion and music is the beginning of this turn for the company, the golden Pax 2 is like a cosmic self-actualization of Pax's place in the universe.The tweak is so simple and smart and tacky and wonderful.This is the pot smoking fashion for everybody with a modicum of curiosity about pot or vapes.It’s gaudy enough for the old school crowd and crass enough for Supreme nuts; it’s fashionable for the high brow and aspirational for the rest of us; and it is a companion piece for the trendiest smart phones on the planet.A gold vaporizer is cool in its confident uncoolness.

This — high-quality, but disposable in its trendiness piece of tech — is what mainstream pot smoking looks like, or will look like, as laws loosen across the country.It looks like everything else that's popular: a little showy, a little modern, and underneath it all, the best at what it does.Cool in its confident uncoolness Pax is ahead of everyone else and still sprinting.Here’s how Pax CMO Richard Mumby described the company’s strategy to Fumo: "There is a cultural movement for the categories that we're in; a cultural acceptance that’s happening," Mumby explains."The overall category is growing well and we're uniquely positioned in a few ways," he furthers."One, our product is the premium of the category that we're in.Second, we're capitalized well to realize the growth that we want.And third, our consumers include really influential, creative, interesting people," he boasts."Fashion, art, and music aren't just hollow words [for us].They're very clear areas of connections that we already have and are looking for interesting and relevant ways to magnify."