# Does heroin preserve youthful appearance? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 13, 2006, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-heroin-preserve-youthful-appearance/380242 "2006-11-13T15:16:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2013, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-heroin-preserve-youthful-appearance/380242/41 "2013-01-01T12:58:57Z")
I believe it does. I also believe it has great potential as a behavioral modification tool. The big problem with heroin is that if you can feel it you have allready had too much. Some eastern religions have become very adept at using meditation tecniques to stimulate enforfins. These people may look 20 to 25 years younger than they actually are if they started at a young age. Endorfin is very closely related to heroin. Suppose you implanted a heroin package under someones skin. The doctor could press the button when he wanted a small level to be released. Take someone who had sadistic tendencies and put them in a position where they had to do something kind, or creative or just simply good. When they did something good give them a small shot, try this on all sorts of bad bevhaviors. I think the positive reward may have reconditioning abilities. My guess is that this century will be the big century for neuro chemical science, my bet is that heroin will play a big part in this. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2013, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-heroin-preserve-youthful-appearance/380242/42 "2013-01-01T16:37:25Z")
Long term heroin use creates zombies ---
**Author:** ![listedmia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e0b2c6/32.png) [@listedmia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/listedmia)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-heroin-preserve-youthful-appearance/380242/43 "2013-01-02T00:04:15Z")
Yeah, I realize this is a zombie. Anyways, the main direct effect, appearance-wise, that I noticed was a slight worsening of acne. I guess that might have made me look a bit like a young teenager (I was an addict on and off from ages 19-22.) I did not generally look so hot. A bad financial situation and a desire to not use “too much” meant I was always on the cusp of withdrawals, which meant sweatiness and sleepless nights. I was homeless part of that time, but I still looked kinda shitty when I had an apartment and access to showers, makeup and clean clothes. Maybe if I had had more money and less supply interruptions, I would have looked nicer, because these effects were more due to withdrawals than getting high itself. I don’t know. I would agree that, based on my extremely subjective appearance and people I know, heroin is less bad for one’s appearance than crack, meth or extremely heavy alcohol use, but that is not really saying much. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-heroin-preserve-youthful-appearance/380242/44 "2013-01-02T00:11:38Z")
I know people in their 50s who have been addicted since their teens. They look 70. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-heroin-preserve-youthful-appearance/380242/45 "2013-01-02T03:32:53Z")
Here are some before and after pictures. I’ll caveat that these are clearly addicts, and obviously chosen for their instructive anti-use message, but I do think they are still a useful addition to the discussion: > **[Substance Abuse and Addiction](https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/default.htm)** > > WebMD Substance Abuse and Addiction Health Center: Find in-depth information about causes, symptoms, risks, prevention, and treatment for drug and alcohol abuse. Chronic dehydration, loss of interest in food and hygiene, “living hard” as someone above put it, of course those are the factors responsible for the changes. But what is responsible for the presence of those factors in these peoples lives? If chemotherapy causes one to lose weight because food won’t stay down, do we say “Oh no, it’s nausea that causes the weight loss!” Of course not. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-heroin-preserve-youthful-appearance/380242/46 "2013-01-02T03:38:39Z")
A better link to bigger photos [http://listsalad.com/lifestyle/top-7-scariest-faces-of-heroin-before-and-after/](http://listsalad.com/lifestyle/top-7-scariest-faces-of-heroin-before-and-after/) ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-heroin-preserve-youthful-appearance/380242/47 "2013-01-02T03:46:13Z")
> [@Wee\_Bairn](#): > > Not in Keith Richard(s) case. Looks pretty much the same today as he did forty years ago. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Simple\_Linctus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Simple\_Linctus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simple_Linctus)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2013, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-heroin-preserve-youthful-appearance/380242/48 "2013-01-02T04:12:48Z")
It’s not impossible that heorin could make men look younger, because hardcore usage tends to lead to decreased testosterone production. Having said that, in practice, street heroin is a very nasty thing with loads and loads of side effects, see the fun stuff listed by “don’t ask”. And by the way I do stress street heroin there. Medicinal quality heroin given by doctors is so safe that in the UK we give it to babies (who need it) 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-heroin-preserve-youthful-appearance/380242.md?page=2)