MD Podiatrist Discusses Smoking and Your Feet
According to Dan Michaels, DPM, “Every year, May 31 is celebrated as World No Tobacco Day. Smoking cigarettes has long been known to have detrimental health effects on the body, contributing to problems such as heart disease and lung cancer. Smoking can also have many lesser known but just as deadly health effects on the feet. The feet are the farthest part of the body from the heart and the blood flow can be severely decreased by smoking, causing many effects on the skin and bones on the feet.”
“The effect of smoking on health especially in the feet is known to have significant negative impact. If you are a smoker, you are encouraged to stop smoking, especially if you are planning to undergo foot and ankle surgery. It is not easy to overcome a smoking/nicotine addiction; however, there are many methods to assist with smoking cessation including gums, patches, electronic cigarettes, medications, and others. Contact your primary care physicians and get help. It is worth it to stop smoking to ensure healing and good functioning of your feet.”