You likely already know that tobacco, whether smoked, chewed, or otherwise ingested, can pose a serious threat to your health. Tobacco contains many harmful toxins that can increase your risk of cancer while also damaging other organs in your body. It can also harm your blood vessels, and smokers have a greater risk of developing vein diseases like varicose veins.
When you understand the dangers tobacco can introduce to your vascular system, you may feel encouraged to quit smoking or otherwise use tobacco. It is never too late to quit tobacco. Read on to learn details about how tobacco can negatively impact your veins.
How Does Using Tobacco Products Affect Your Veins?
Nicotine, a chemical found in cigarettes, has many detrimental effects on your body, including your veins. The toxin makes the blood vessels narrow, restricting the blood’s ability to flow where needed in your body. You can see higher blood pressure and face a greater risk of medical emergencies like strokes and heart attacks as a result.
The toxins in cigarette smoke also weaken the inside of the blood vessels. Then plaque, a fatty build-up, can more easily accrue within the veins. This also narrows the blood vessels while increasing the risk of clots.
Both of these serious effects from tobacco usage can affect your risk of vein diseases too. While not a direct cause of varicose veins, smokers face a greater chance of forming this problem.
Constriction within the blood vessels may increase the likelihood of damaging a valve within the vein. Then blood may start to pool and collect within the vein rather than flow as it should.
This can leave you with uncomfortable and unsightly bulging within the veins. The disorder is commonly known as varicose veins and will require treatment from a specialist to fix.
What Happens to the Veins When You Stop Using Tobacco?
When you stop smoking or otherwise taking tobacco, the health risks will lessen very quickly. Within the first day following quitting tobacco, you can see stabilized blood pressure as your blood vessels return to their normal size. This will reduce the chances of cardiac emergencies as well as vein diseases.
After several years without smoking, your cardiovascular system will be as healthy as someone who never smoked. So you should cease a tobacco habit as soon as possible to begin eliminating these health risks.
If you already have varicose veins, they will not go away when you stop smoking. You will need to seek treatment to address the already damaged valve within the blood vessel. Your vein specialist will evaluate the affected vein and recommend treatment according to your unique needs and preferences.
The vein doctor may suggest sclerotherapy, ambulatory hook phlebectomy, or endovenous laser treatment to fix varicose veins. Schedule your vein consultation online or call a specialist in Dayton, OH at 937.303.4500 to learn more about your own vascular health.