A new study has proven that smoking can affect all skin, even skin not exposed to light.

However, some Penn State students said the new information will not affect their choice to smoke.

According to the Archives of Dermatology study, researchers examined nonfacial skin that was protected from the sun. The study found that the total number of packs of cigarettes smoked per day and the total years a person smoked were relative to the amount of skin damage a person had.

Both cigarettes and exposure to light cause aging skin, but studies have shown that smokers have more rapidly aging skin than nonsmokers, said Diana Ramos, community health educator for the University Health Services.

Khairul Luqman (senior-industrial engineering) said he has smoked for five years and considers himself a moderate smoker.

Luqman said he never wears sunscreen and, in the summer, is exposed to the sun a lot because he is originally from Malaysia, where the sun exposure is high.

"This study doesn't really affect my decision about smoking," Luqman said. "Besides, I do think I look younger than my age."

Elizaveta Latash (sophomore-biology) said she has smoked for six years and smokes too much for her liking -- about a pack a day.

"I think all of the health effects are sad, and I don't like the fact that I smoke," Latash said. "I could say that I want to [quit], but it is really a matter of if I actually do."

Latash said she tans in the summer but never goes to a tanning bed.

Ramos said there are three types of smokers: social, habitual and addicted.

"Social smokers who perhaps only smoke when they drink, habitual smokers who smoke on a routine basis and need a reason to smoke, and addicted smokers who have no reason to smoke but are physiologically dependent on nicotine," she said.

However, nicotine has the same effect for all types of smokers because it exposes the body to more than 4,000 chemicals, some of which are carcinogenic, Ramos said.

The study tested 82 people, half smokers and half nonsmokers, ranging in age from 22 to 91.

Researches photographed the participants' right inner arms, and independent judges determined how wrinkled each person's skin was.