A smokers lungs can sometimes go back to normal after quitting smoking.
However the longer you've smoked the more damage you've done to your lungs and if you've smoked for decades your lungs may not completely return to normal and healthy although your lungs can begin to recover some even after smoking decades.
Some damage though like from emphysema is permanent and not reversible.
Within hours of quitting smoking, the carbon monoxide levels in your blood drop and allow oxygen to flow more easily and your body then begins to clear out mucus and smoking debris and the tiny hair like structures called cilia which help clear your lungs start to function normally, improving mucus clearance and reducing coughing.
Lung function can also improve greatly within weeks and months of quitting smoking and breathing should become easier and shortness of breath should decrease.
And dormant cells in your lungs start to replace the damaged cells that line the airways, leading to gradual healing and regeneration.
Quitting smoking also greatly reduces your risk of lung cancer, heart disease emphysema and other smoking related health issues.
Your lungs do regenerate after quitting smoking and the earlier you quit smoking the better chance you have at healing your lungs.
When you stop smoking the dormant cells in your lungs will begin to replace the damaged lung cells that line your airways.
As a result it leads to gradual healing and regeneration of the lungs and a decreased risk of lung cancer.
The rate at which your lungs heal after quitting smoking will depend on how long you have smoked and the longer you smoked the longer it will take for your lungs to heal.
Smokers lungs do heal after they quit smoking as the lungs are self cleaning and healing and eventually your lungs will gradually heal and regenerate on their own after you quit smoking.
Although the longer you have smoked the longer it will take for your lungs to clean and heal.
Lungs can heal after smoking.
But the longer you have smoked for the less chance the lungs have of healing.
if you've only been smoking a few months or a few years then your lungs can heal easier than they would if you had smoked for 20 years or more.
Smoking really damages your lungs and can also lead to an early death.
When you quit smoking your lungs can and do begin to heal some.
However the longer you have smoked the more damage you have already done to your lungs and so your lungs may never fully heal.
For example if you've smoked for 40 years or more and then quit smoking then your lungs will heal some but not fully because you've already done a lot of damage to your lungs.
Still it's never too late to quit smoking because you do increase your chance of survival longer when you quit smoking no matter how long you've smoked.
However if you've only smoked for a few years or even 20 years and then quit smoking then your lungs will have more time to heal.
So you will be able to breathe better and live a longer healthier life once you quit smoking and you'll save a lot of money for other things as well.
The average smoker spends $10.00 to $20.00 per day on smoking which is $300.00 to $600.00 per month and sometimes more.
That's a lot of money to just burn up.
After you quit smoking your lungs can begin to heal slowly and it depends on how much you've smoked before then.
If you've smoked way past 50 years old then your lungs will be damaged more severely than if you stopped smoking by age 30 or 40.
Still smoking at any age is a good thing for your health and your lungs will start to heal and you'll have a much easier time of breathing.
You decrease your chances of getting lung diseases and COPD and even lung cancer the sooner you quit and it's always worth it to quit smoking even when you've been smoking for 30 to 40 years or more.