The complexity of nicotine’s effect on cutaneous wound healing

Nicotine, mostly known through its association with tobacco, has long been regarded as straightforwardly harmful -addictive and vasoconstrictive.Yet a growing number of studies have begun to complicate that picture, revealing a range of physiological effects that are far less predictable than once assumed.Over the years, multiple contradictory studies have emerged, a few suggesting that nicotine, under certain circumstances, can be beneficial -especially for angiogenesis.In this review, we aim to supply a comprehensive summary of the most significant effects of nicotine on cutaneous wound healing.We focus on key components of this process, including keratinocytes, fibroblasts, endothelial cells, inflammation, and the crucial cellular events of proliferation, differentiation, and migration.