The Effects of Smoking on Your Body

No matter how you smoke it, tobacco is dangerous to your health. Smoking can lead to a variety of ongoing complications in the body, as well as long-term effects on your body systems. While smoking can increase your risk of a variety of problems over several years, some of the bodily effects are immediate. Learn more about the symptoms and overall effects of smoking on the body below.

In the United States, the mortality rate for smokers is three times that of people who never smoked. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that smoking is the most common "Preventable cause of death" in the United States. While the effects of smoking may not be immediate, the complications and damage can last for years. The good news is that quitting smoking can reverse many effects. Nicotine is extremely habit-forming, which is why people find smoking so difficult to quit. When you inhale smoke, you're taking in substances that can damage your lungs. Increased mucus production right after quitting smoking is a positive sign that your respiratory system is recovering. Children whose parents smoke are more prone to coughing, wheezing, and asthma attacks than children whose parents don't.

Smoking also raises blood pressure, weakens blood vessel walls, and increases blood clots. Smoking not only impacts your cardiovascular health, but also the health of those around you who don't smoke. Exposure to secondhand smoke carries the same risk to a nonsmoker as someone who does smoke. The more obvious signs of smoking involve skin changes. Substances in tobacco smoke actually change the structure of your skin.

A recent study has shown that smoking dramatically increases the risk of squamous cell carcinoma. Your fingernails and toenails aren't immune from the effects of smoking. Smoking increases the likelihood of fungal nail infections. Smoking increases the risk of mouth, throat, larynx, and esophagus cancer. Smokers also have higher rates of pancreatic cancer. Even people who "Smoke but don't inhale" face an increased risk of mouth cancer. Smoking also has an effect on insulin, making it more likely that you'll develop insulin resistance. That puts you at increased risk of type 2 diabetes and its complications, which tend to develop at a faster rate than in people who don't smoke. Smoking may also lower sex hormone levels in both men and women.

Quitting smoking is difficult, but your doctor can help you make a plan. You can also turn to our smoking cessation resource center, which has advice, stories from others, and more. There are both short and long-term benefits to quitting smoking. Since smoking affects every body system, finding a way to quit is the most important step you can take to living a longer and happier life.