Do you cough up phlegm after quitting smoking?

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asked Feb 16, 2022 in Other- Health by Timenspace (1,020 points)
Do you cough up phlegm after quitting smoking?

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answered Feb 20, 2022 by 123devon (8,950 points)
Most people who stop smoking do cough up phlegm after quitting smoking which normal and it may last for several weeks.

Tobacco smoke slows the normal movement of the tiny hairs (cilia) that move mucus out of your lungs.

When you stop smoking, the cilia become active again.

As the cilia recover and the mucus is cleared from your lungs, you might cough more than usual.

This might last for several weeks.

Some smokers also cough up tar after quitting smoking.

After quitting smoking you will cough up tar for around 4 weeks to 8 weeks.

However depending on how much you've smoked you may continue coughing up tar for 6 months to a year.

Smokers lungs do really turn black.

When you smoke your lungs get coated with tar which turns the lungs black.

The oils, tars and other toxic ingredients build up and cut off blood flow to the lower lobes of tobacco smokers lungs which kills or disables those tissues causing necrotic (dead) tissue to build.

Lungs turn from a healthy pink to grayish with black streaks and blotches.

They say it takes “light” smokers about 1 year to develop as much lung damage as “heavy” smoking does in 9 months.

They note that a lighted cigarette releases 7,000 chemicals, 69 of which are considered to be cancer-causing substances.

The amount of cigarettes a day that is not harmful is 0 cigarettes a day.

Even 1 cigarette per day is harmful especially if you smoke one everyday of your life.

Smoking cigarettes is harmful no matter how many you smoke per day.

However when you smoke a pack or more of cigarettes a day it gets even more harmful and worse for your health.

The best thing to do is to avoid smoking cigarettes at all and if you do then work on quitting smoking.

When I turned 18 I started smoking cigarettes but after a few years I just decided to give it up.

My dad was a smoker and he now has COPD and breathing issues and has to use an inhaler and he's 74 years old now.

He smoked since he was 16 years old and his mom smoked and died of lung disease at age 70 and she would smoke a lot.

My dad quit smoking 15 years ago and has never smoked a cigarette again.

Smokers have breathing issues and die earlier than non smokers.

My aunt died a few years ago at age 68 and she was a heavy smoker as well.

She was on oxygen and still smoking when she died.

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