How can tar affect your body

Tobacco smoke contains: nicotine carbon monoxide tar toxic chemicals such as benzene, arsenic and formaldehyde Nicotine Although nicotine is a very addictive substance it's relatively harmless.

Carbon monoxide Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas which takes the place of oxygen in your blood. Tar Tar is the sticky brown substance that stains smokers' teeth and fingers yellow-brown. Using tobacco Tobacco comes in many forms including: cigarettes rolling tobacco illicit tobacco Cigarettes Cigarettes are the most common type of tobacco product in Scotland. Cigarette tobacco products contain: two main tobacco leaf varieties fillers including stems and other waste products water flavourings additives The additives are used to make the cigarette more palatable to the user.

Rolling tobacco Many people who smoke roll-ups don't use a filter, so they also end up inhaling more tar and nicotine and therefore become highly addicted and dependent on their habit. Illicit tobacco This is tobacco that has been smuggled into Scotland illegally. Source: Health Scotland - Opens in new browser window. Last updated:. How can we improve this page? Email Address e. Message Maximum of characters. Send feedback.

Also on NHS inform. Other health sites. Community content from Health Unlocked - This will open in a new window. Tobacco is especially linked to stomach cancers that occur near the esophagus. The ill effects of smoking cigarettes do not only affect people who smoke. Secondhand smoke can also have significant health effects on family members, friends, and coworkers.

While quitting smoking can be challenging, the CDC report that today, there are more people who used to smoke than people who currently smoke. Once a person stops smoking, the benefits start accumulating. These include clearer skin, improved oral health, more stable hormones, a stronger immune system, and a reduced risk of many types of cancers. Some other benefits of quitting smoking include :.

Nicotine is an addictive drug and can cause withdrawal symptoms when a person stops using it. These symptoms including cravings, increased appetite, and irritability. Cravings and other effects typically subside over time. A doctor or other healthcare professional can help a person take positive steps toward quitting smoking.

Read about some simple steps to quit smoking here. The majority of cigarette, cigar and pipe smokers have nicotine dependency. Nicotine is a highly addictive substance that leads to life-threatening…. Quitting smoking can be very daunting, but some of the benefits come much faster than anticipated.

In fact, health benefits begin to take effect just…. Many people try nicotine replacement or vaping as an alternative to smoking cigarettes.

However, people often speculate as to whether there is a link…. Nicotine is highly addictive and harmful. It is normally smoked in cigarettes but can lead to further drugs misuse also. Find out what nicotine does…. Smoking, secondhand smoke, and e-cigarette vapor can all aggravate a person's asthma symptoms. Learn more about the link between asthma and smoking…. How does smoking affect the body? Medically reviewed by Elaine K. Luo, M. Lung damage Heart disease Fertility problems Pregnancy complications Type 2 diabetes Weakened immune system Vision problems Poor oral hygiene Unhealthy skin and hair Other cancers Secondhand smoke Quitting Smoking cigarettes can have many adverse effects on the body.

Share on Pinterest Image credit: Stephen Kelly, Lung damage. Smoking takes a toll on your mouth. Smokers have more oral health problems than non-smokers, like mouth sores, ulcers and gum disease.

You are more likely to have cavities and lose your teeth at a younger age. You are also more likely to get cancers of the mouth and throat. Smoking can cause your skin to be dry and lose elasticity, leading to wrinkles and stretch marks. Your skin tone may become dull and grayish. By your early 30s, wrinkles can begin to appear around your mouth and eyes, adding years to your face.

Smoking raises your blood pressure and puts stress on your heart. Over time, stress on the heart can weaken it, making it less able to pump blood to other parts of your body. Carbon monoxide from inhaled cigarette smoke also contributes to a lack of oxygen, making the heart work even harder. This increases the risk of heart disease, including heart attacks.

Smoking makes your blood thick and sticky. The stickier the blood, the harder your heart must work to move it around your body.

Sticky blood is also more likely to form blood clots that block blood flow to your heart, brain, and legs. Over time, thick, sticky blood damages the delicate lining of your blood vessels. This damage can increase your risk for a heart attack or stroke. Smoking increases the cholesterol and unhealthy fats circulating in the blood, leading to unhealthy fatty deposits.

Over time, cholesterol, fats, and other debris build up on the walls of your arteries. This buildup narrows the arteries and blocks normal blood flow to the heart, brain, and legs. Blocked blood flow to the heart or brain can cause a heart attack or stroke. Blockage in the blood vessels of your legs could result in the amputation of your toes or feet.

Smokers' lungs experience inflammation in the small airways and tissues of your lungs. This can make your chest feel tight or cause you to wheeze or feel short of breath. Continued inflammation builds up scar tissue, which leads to physical changes to your lungs and airways that can make breathing hard.

Years of lung irritation can give you a chronic cough with mucus. Smoking destroys the tiny air sacs, or alveoli, in the lungs that allow oxygen exchange.

When you smoke, you are damaging some of those air sacs. When enough alveoli are destroyed, the disease emphysema develops. Emphysema causes severe shortness of breath and can lead to death. Your airways are lined with tiny brush like hairs, called cilia.