Immediate health benefits of stopping smoking

Other immediate benefits

Personal

You and your loved ones may be used to your breath, clothes and hair smelling constantly of smoke. This unpleasant side effect ceases immediately on quitting, with fresher breath, hair and clothing.

Stress and guilt

In an environment where smoking is actively discouraged, just finding a place to smoke may leave you feeling stressed out and guilt-ridden. Many buildings, work places and social areas have banned smoking, causing significant  anxiety for an addicted smoker who feels the urge to smoke on a regular basis. Other people may be closet smokers, who are concealing the fact they smoke from friends or loved ones. These people have high stress of being “caught” smoking, which mars the enjoyment of the habit itself. All of the above can be immediately alleviated and allow you to feel better about yourself, when you quit smoking.

Health of family and friends

Smokers are often exposing their friends and loved ones, including children, to passive or second hand smoke. Tobacco smoke contains over 4,000 known chemicals, many of which are harmful. At least 40 of these are known to cause cancer. Children are especially vulnerable to second-hand smoke because their lungs are smaller and their immune systems are less developed. Research shows that children exposed to second hand smoke have a higher risk of cot death (SIDS), and of breathing problems. Finally, if you are trying to have a baby, smoking can impair your fertility and reduce your chances. As soon as you quit, you reduce the risk of harming yourself and those around you.

Financial burden

Smoking is a very expensive habit and you could be paying a high cost, both health-wise and financially. As soon as you quit you substantially reduce the financial burden of your habit and immediately have money to spend on other priorities.

Longer term benefits of quitting

• 1 year - your heart attack risk is now half that of a smoker
• 10 years - lung cancer risk falls and is now half that of a smoker
• 15 years –heart attack risk is the same as someone who has never smoked.

Appearance changes in the longer term

Smoking stains fingers, nails and teeth. Yellow teeth are common effects of smoking, but smokers are also more likely to have gum disease, bad breath and other oral issues. Smokers are twice as likely to lose teeth as non-smokers.

Smoking chronically deprives the skin of oxygen. Research shows this causes premature ageing and wrinkles, making you look older than you are. Tobacco smoke can give skin an unhealthy pallor and coarse texture. Chemicals in tobacco can also break down the collagen and elastin in your skin, resulting in deeper wrinkles and sagging, less elastic, skin.

Creases and lines around the lips are common features of a smoker, caused by the 'smoker’s pucker'.

Hair loss has been connected to smoking. Some studies suggest smokers are more likely to go bald and may experience accelerated thinning of hair.

Quitting smoking can immediately improve blood flow which benefits the skin as well as the rest of the body. If you stay tobacco free, stains on fingers and nails will disappear and you may even notice your teeth are whiter.