What happens to your body if you quit smoking?

The expert explains how he takes care of the lung after the end of the addiction

A 2022 Brazilian Agency survey showed that 28% of Brazilians smoke cigarettes, below the average of 38% in Latin America, but smoke more. This means that we are not the country with the highest incidence of smokers, but we have the highest percentage of people who smoke more than 11 cigarettes a day.

Addiction is a part of life for many Brazilians and many want to quit smoking. We are aware of the damage that smoking can do to your health and we also know that quitting smoking can be a slow, gradual and transformative process.

Have you ever stopped to think about what happens to the body when we quit smoking?

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A post shared by Saúde No Lar | Home care (@saudenolarmg)

Michelle Andreata, pulmonologist of Saúde no Lar, explains that in the first hours the patient will feel a little more anxious. But, on the other hand, after 48 hours, she may notice a marked improvement in smell, he has better perception of taste (two closely related regions).

“This change is so great that, after a week, the palate changes so much that the person can even become intolerant to some foods. This is very positive, and a clear sign that he is smelling and tasting things as they really are,” she adds.

According to the doctor, after a week of this “intolerance”, it is possible to notice that breathing has improved and also shortness of breath. After the fifteenth day, it is the peak of anguish. It is in this period – between seven and fourteen days – that it is necessary to treat anxiety.

“Once the anxiety is overcome, the patient is able to experience a lot of pleasure and a feeling of abundant improvement. And then there is an improvement in physical performance, heart rate, breathing and muscles,” says Michelle Andreata.

The body returns to normal

The pulmonologist of Saúde no Lar also reveals that, in the long term, the body of the person who has quit smoking tends to return to normal. Firmness (state of hydration of the skin) and elasticity of the skin are improved, dark spots are reduced. “Not only on the skin of the face, but around the mouth, spots on the hands (there is little talk, but it’s where you keep the cigarette, there are also many spots). And the improvement is not only in these parts of the skin, there is an improvement in the quality of the skin as a whole,” the specialist points out.

Respiratory capacity unquestionably improves and so does muscle capacity. The patient is able to improve his physical performance after fifteen days without smoking. Michelle also points out that the longer the person goes without a cigarette, the faster they will recover. “Sometimes even patients, driven by the pleasure of seeing that they have managed to win a battle, start practicing physical activity and derive a secondary gain from it”.

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A post shared by Dr. Rosangela Vicente (@venhaparardefumar)

Is there a certain “cleansing” of the lung? Will it be able to go back to being the same as before?

According to the doctor, cleaning the lungs actually has to do with the body’s ability to expel all the buildup of nicotine, tar, and all the other components of the cigarette.

This will depend on the age at which the patient quit smoking. When this occurs before the age of 50, this ability is much greater, as the patient’s improvement and recovery are much faster. From the age of fifty it gets slower and slower.

Regarding the return of the lung as before, Michelle explains that it depends on how much she smoked, on what kind of cigarette”. But in general, when people quit before age 50, the chance of a heart attack and other smoking-related complications drops dramatically. The feeling is that the person is young again. But, in reality, she had been breathing badly for a long time,” she reveals.

losses

It is a fact that smoking can harm the body in many ways. Pulmonologist Michelle Andreata lists some of them:

• The first of these is the lung. Smoking can cause tissue destruction and since the lung does not regenerate, it creates a scar that impairs gas exchange.
• There may also be inflammation of the lungs and the airways that pass through them and this is known as chronic bronchitis. It looks like asthma, but it’s more severe because it’s progressive bronchitis.
• In addition to this, we have changes in the hair structure (it becomes thinner and more brittle), the skin loses collagen and becomes harder, stiffer and more sensitive, even in the sun. And with that, more spots appear. These effects on the skin are very visible because it is the largest organ in the human body and is always in sight.

“All because of what smoking does to our body as a whole. It is able to oxidize the body very quickly. By rapidly aging the body, not just the lungs, but all the other organs,” concludes the specialist.

Source: Terra

Ben

Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.