Cigarettes have been around for decades and were first introduced in the United States in the early 19th century. Cigarettes gained popularity in the early 1900s and were even praised during WWI for helping the wounded relax and ease their pain.
Smoking was first linked to lung cancer in 1940 and the early 1950s. In 1954 the Surgeon General's scientific study determined a causal link between excessive cigarette smoke and lung cancer.
Book a smoking cessation appointmentTobacco use is the leading cause of preventable disease, disability, and death in the United States. Yet, 34 million US adults smoke cigarettes.
Below we have compiled some images of smokers' lungs after quitting smoking, and of the damage cigarettes and tobacco products can do to your lungs.
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Our doctors operate in all 50 states and same day appointments are available every 15 minutes.
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See a doctor, get treatment and a prescription at your local pharmacy.
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Lungs Before and After Smoking
Image credit: https://smart.servier.com/smart\_image/lung-cancer/
The lung on the left is damaged from smoking, but after just a few weeks of being tobacco free, the lungs begin to repair themselves.
Cilia, microscopic hairs in the lungs, work to clear the tar, debire and other pollutants. This may lead to an uncomfortable cough and chest pain. Lungs begin to return to normal (pink, elastic) after you quit smoking
It takes anywhere from 1 to 9 months for cilia to repair themselves, longer for long term smokers. Things like diet and exercise can help repair your lungs over time.
Pictures of Lungs After Recently Quitting Smoking
Image source: https://quit-prevent-smoking-ns.weebly.com/
Lung repair may happen faster than you think. While some smokers may have caused irreversible damage to their lungs, quitting smoking will always lead to improved lung function, even if they never return to how they were before smoking.
Smoking for Years and Then Quitting Smoking
As mentioned above, the lungs will begin to repair themselves just weeks after you quit and while quitting is by no means an easy process, the reduced risk of disease and death makes the decision all the more important, even if you have been smoking for decades.
Read: Smoking Cessation Treatment
Smokers Lungs After 30 Years
Image source: https://life.shared.com/transplant-doctor-shocked-black-lungs-donated-chain-smoker
After 30 years of smoking, the lungs will likely have irreversible damage and the risk of all types of disease is drastically increased, including lung cancer, COPD, and heart disease.
While the lungs may never return to normal, it is still worth quitting smoking even after 30 or more years.
What Does Smoking Do To Your Lungs?
Smoking can cause severe damage to your lungs and small air sacs called alveoli.
This damage leads to build of tar and other pollutants in your lungs which can cause discoloration and the blackening of lung tissue.
Smoking may cause lung diseases such as COPD, chronic bronchitis, emphysema and lung cancer.
Beyond lung damage smoking can cause heart disease, liver disease, mouth cancer and more.
What Are The Risks of Smoking?
Smoking harms nearly every organ in the body. Complications from smoking include:
Lung cancer
Mouth cancer
Throat cancer
Esophagus cancer
Larynx (voice box) cancer
Liver cancer
Stomach cancer
Pancreatic cancer
Kidney and pelvis cancer
Urinary bladder cancer
Uterine/cervical cancer
Colon cancer
COPD
Heart Disease
Heart failure
Heart attack
Irregular heart beats
Stroke
Pregnancy complications like low birth weight and defects
1
Book on our free mobile app or website.
Our doctors operate in all 50 states and same day appointments are available every 15 minutes.
2
See a doctor, get treatment and a prescription at your local pharmacy.
3
Use your health insurance just like you normally would to see your doctor.
How Long Does it Take for Tar to Leave Your Lungs?
Cigarettes contain many chemicals including nicotine, hydrogen cyanide, formaldehyde, lead, arsenic, ammonia, radioactive elements, benzene, carbon monoxide, tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).
When you inhale the cigarette smoke there is tar present while the product is being burned. The last puffs on a cigarette can contain twice as much tar as with the first puffs. This tar sticks to the cells in your lungs called the cilia and paralyzes them.
The main function of Cilia is to help move microbes and debris up and out of the airways. If cilia is paralyzed, you are more at risk to develop lung diseases such as emphysema, chronic bronchitis, and lung cancer.
After you quit smoking, your cilia begin to heal which takes 1 to 9 months. However, the tar that caused the damage in the first place can take even longer to leave your lungs.
How Long Does it Take for Lungs to Heal After Quitting Smoking?
Lung improvement begins after 2 weeks to 3 months.
Healing your lungs completely will take time and sometimes you are never completely healed from the damage.
The bottom line is that smoking, especially long term, has serious and often irreversible damage.
The sooner you quit smoking, the better chances you have to repair your lungs. There is no magic pill to heal your lungs after quitting.
Oftentimes if you have been smoking for decades, it can take decades for your lungs to heal.
But can lungs heal after 40 years of smoking?
While they will likely never return to normal, your lungs will begin to heal the moment you quit.
Can Lungs Go Back to Normal After Quitting Smoking?
Yes, your lungs can go back to normal after quitting smoking.
One large study found that after 20 years smoke-free, the risk of COPD drops to the same as if you have never smoked and after 30 years, the risk of lung cancer also drops to the same risk as non-smokers.
How to Clean Lungs After Quitting Smoking?
There is no magic pill or solution to clean your lungs after quitting smoking. This is mostly because of the extensive and internal damage smoking does to the body. That said, there are some things that can be done to help improve lung health.
Certain dietary restrictions - Avoid foods that promote and produce mucus such as dairy, processed foods, candies, and caffeine. Foods that help heal the lungs are pineapples, honey, citrus fruits, leafy greens, and radishes.
Breathing exercises - Breathing exercises can help clean your lungs out. Pursed-lip breathing can be done by slowly inhaling through the nose for about 2 seconds and then exhaling through the mouth with tight lips for about 4 seconds.
Physical exercises - Physical exercise gets blood moving and that includes blood surrounding the lungs. This helps activate the cilia to then move out debris that is stuck in your lungs from smoking.
Avoiding certain triggers - Other triggers to avoid include other smokers, secondhand smoke, cleaning materials (liquids) may aggravate your lungs, strong perfumes, and fires or wood burning stoves.
1
Book on our free mobile app or website.
Our doctors operate in all 50 states and same day appointments are available every 15 minutes.
2
See a doctor, get treatment and a prescription at your local pharmacy.
3
Use your health insurance just like you normally would to see your doctor.
Get Help Quitting Smoking
Smoking is a chemical addiction and oftentimes people need help to quit. According to the American Heart Association, the science behind nicotine addiction is clear, yet many people still do not realize cigarettes are as hard to quit as cocaine or heroin.
Do not wait to quit, now is the time to start to heal your lungs and preserve your health.
A doctor can help construct a plan to quit smoking that is right for you. You may even benefit from prescription medications that are proven to help you quit.
If you are ready to quit, book an appointment to set up a video visit with a top U.S. doctor today. Our doctors have helped countless patients quit smoking by providing supportive, realistic treatment plans, including prescribing necessary smoking cessation medication.
Read More About Quitting Smoking
Sources:
PlushCare is dedicated to providing you with accurate and trustworthy health information.
American Cancer Society. (2020). Tobacco and Cancer. Harmful chemicals in tobacco. Accessed on December 19, 2022 at https://www.cancer.org/cancer/risk-prevention/tobacco/carcinogens-found-in-tobacco-products.html
Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). Smoking and tobacco use: Health effects of cigarette smoking. Accessed on December 19, 2022 at https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/health_effects/effects_cig_smoking
Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). Office of Smoking and Health (OSH). OSH at a glance. Accessed on December 19, 2022 at https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/about/osh/index.htm
Lung Health. (2019). Does tar stay in your lungs forever? Lung Health Institute. Accessed on December 19, 2022 at https://lunginstitute.com/blog/does-tar-stay-in-your-lungs-forever
Lung Institute. Pursed Lips Breathing: How to Do It and Why It Helps. Accessed on December 19, 2022 at https://lunginstitute.com/pursed-lips-breathing/
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Accessed on December 19, 2022 at A Report of the Surgeon General. How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease: What It Means to You. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2010.
Photo credit: Lungs begin to return to normal after you quit smoking. Servier Medical Art. Creative Common License. Retrieved from https://smart.servier.com/smart\_image/lung-cancer/
Photo credit: Smoking for years and then quitting smoking. Retrieved from https://myhealthonly.net/smokers-lungs/
Photo credit: Pictures of lungs after recently quitting smoking. https://quit-prevent-smoking-ns.weebly.com/
Photo credit: Smokers lung after 30 years of chain smoking. Retrieved from https://life.shared.com/transplant-doctor-shocked-black-lungs-donated-chain-smoker
