Smoking Cessation Medbelle Information Brochure
Why we prepared this brochure for you Hi, my name is Sarah. I m a cosmetic treatment adviser with Medbelle. Every day, I speak with men and women in the UK looking into cosmetic treatment. Having worked in the industry for some time now, I have come to realise how difficult it is to find comprehensive and reliable information on the web about procedures, surgeons, and aftercare. At Medbelle, our goal is to make healthcare simple and more transparent for patients. With this brochure, my team and I aim to take the first step towards simplifying the process of stopping smoking for you. Please let me know if there is anything I can help you with. That s what I m here for. For now, enjoy the brochure! Sarah O Connell 2
Medbelle Information Brochure: Smoking Cessation Guide Why should you stop smoking?...4 Effects of smoking on surgery.5 Other reasons to stop smoking...7 Self-help tips......13 Aids to quitting........14 Nicotine replacement therapy...15 Advice &...16 support Medication.17 Commitment to a new lifestyle......18 Frequently asked questions...19 Ready to take the next step towards quitting? Visit: www.medbelle.com 3
Why should you stop smoking? There are many different reasons why people choose to stop smoking. These reasons may include: To save money To improve general well-being To improve aspects of their social life In most cases however, people choose to quit smoking to try to better their health. It is of course important for everyone to strive to be as healthy as they possibly can, but this is particularly important for patients looking to have surgery. The following pages will explore the effect smoking can have on your surgery and recovery, some of the health benefits of quitting smoking, and how quitting can improve different aspects of daily living. 4 Ready to take the next step towards quitting? www.medbelle.com
Effect of smoking on surgery In addition to the many ways in which smoking can affect your health and lifestyle, smoking can also affect your eligibility for surgery. During your consultation, your surgeon will explain how smoking can increase the risk of complications occurring during and after your procedure. In general, some common complications that could arise include: Increased risks associated with anaesthesia Higher risk of serious heart and lung complications Higher rates of wound infection Slower and impaired healing of wounds Longer hospital stay and slower recovery A higher chance of requiring hospital readmission 5 Ready to take the next step towards quitting? www.medbelle.com
Effect of smoking on surgery It is also important to recognise that it is not just the use of cigarettes that can increase your risk of complications. The following can also have a negative effect on both your surgery and recovery: Smoking cigars or shisha (hookah) Smoking recreational drugs Using vapes (with nicotine) Using nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) e.g. nicotine patches or E-cigarettes. Due to all of the risks that smoking presents, your surgeon may not be willing to perform your procedure until you have stopped smoking. Our Medbelle surgeons may therefore ask you to be smoke and nicotine free for a period of 6 weeks to 3 months before and after your surgery. 6 Ready to take the next step towards quitting? www.medbelle.com
Other reasons to stop smoking Easy breathing One of the main health benefits of quitting smoking is the ability to breathe easier. Within 9 months of quitting, the total volume of air that your lungs can hold, and the ease of your regular breathing, can increase by 10%. During this time period, you will also be much less likely to cough and will have a reduced risk of developing lung disease or cancer. Dental Health Smokers have higher rates of gum disease and cancer of the head and neck. The tobacco in cigarettes and cigars can also stain your teeth, therefore causing them to appear yellow or brown. By quitting, you can stop further damage occurring to your mouth. 7 Ready to take the next step towards quitting? www.medbelle.com
Other reasons to stop smoking General health Smoking damages more than just your lungs. It also damages your blood circulation, makes you more likely to suffer from coughs and colds, and can make you feel generally tired. By quitting smoking, you can reduce these effects. Once you quit, you will notice an increase in energy and a decrease in tiredness. Physical fitness Due to the effects that smoking has on your body, you might feel that you are unable to exercise as much as you would like when you are a smoker. By quitting, you will find exercising much easier as you will be less likely to get short of breath, and your heart will find it easier to pump blood around your body. 8 Ready to take the next step towards quitting? www.medbelle.com
Other reasons to stop smoking Reduced stress Between smoking your cigarettes, you may notice that you feel more stressed. This happens because when you are not smoking, your body starts running low on nicotine, and therefore craves the next cigarette. Your body can t tell the difference between this sort of stress and other stressful situations in life. So by quitting, you may find that your overall stress levels are reduced. If you use smoking as a way of beating stress, there are ways you can replace it with other ways of dealing with stress that are healthier for you. 9 Ready to take the next step towards quitting? www.medbelle.com
Other reasons to stop smoking Fertility Years of scientific studies have shown that smoking negatively affects both male and female fertility. People who quit smoking have higher pregnancy rates, lower miscarriage rates and are more likely to have a healthy baby. Stopping smoking even improves the success rates of fertility treatments such as IVF (In Vitro Fertilisation). Babies born to smokers weigh less at birth, are more likely to suffer from asthma and have a higher risk of heart defects. 10 Ready to take the next step towards quitting? www.medbelle.com
Other reasons to stop smoking Secondhand Smoke Also known as passive smoking, secondhand smoke from your cigarettes can affect the health of everybody around you, including your children and loved ones. Just by breathing in the smoke of somebody else, the risk of cancer and heart disease is increased, even if that person doesn t smoke themselves. The effects of passive smoking on children are particularly significant. Children who grow up in a house with smokers are around 3 times more likely to suffer from lung cancer in adulthood compared to children who grow up with non-smokers, even if the child never smokes. By being around smoke, children are also more likely to get chest and ear infections and asthma. These problems are all potentially preventable by stopping smoking. 11 Ready to take the next step towards quitting? www.medbelle.com
Other reasons to stop smoking Ageing Smoking also speeds up the ageing process. It can result in the development of more wrinkles, older looking skin and other signs of ageing. Stopping smoking also increases your life expectancy no matter what age you are, so it is never too late for you to quit! Of course, the sooner you stop, the higher your life expectancy will be. As well as helping you live longer, stopping smoking also leads to a greater improvement in the quality of your life, especially as you get older. 12 Ready to take the next step towards quitting? www.medbelle.com
Self-help Tips Your patient care adviser will be there to support you every step of the way if you decide to stop smoking. To help you get started, we have put together a small list of lifestyle changes you can try. These tips not only help you begin, but they can also help reduce the temptation to start smoking again after you have quit. Make a plan to help you stay on track and have a Work out triggers that make you crave a cigarette goal to aim for. and avoid these if possible, or come up with a plan to overcome a craving. Assess your diet to make sure you are eating Stay positive even though quitting is hard. Keep up healthily and are satisfied after meals, without the good work and don t punish yourself if you fail needing a cigarette. at first. Get support from family, friends or a health Find distractions if you always have a cigarette at professional to help you along the way. certain times, replace it with a healthy distraction to break the habit. 13 Ready to take the next step towards quitting? www.medbelle.com
Aids to quitting Deciding to stop smoking is a big decision and it is not an easy thing to do. In addition to the self-help strategies described earlier, there are a number of other interventions that may help you to quit successfully. These include: Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) Prescription medication Support groups Your surgeon, GP or a smoking cessation specialist will be able to help you to decide if any of these methods would be useful for you. Additionally, any pharmacy will have a smoking cessation advisor and will sell over the counter nicotine replacement products. 14 Ready to take the next step towards quitting? www.medbelle.com
Nicotine Replacement Therapy Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) works by replacing the addictive substance (nicotine) that is found in cigarettes, without exposing you to all of the other harmful chemicals. Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) can come in many forms, including: Patches Gum Lozenges Inhalers Mouth spray The replacement nicotine helps reduce cravings and the symptoms of withdrawal. NRT is available over-the-counter and your doctor or pharmacist will be able to advise you on the best product or combination for you. People often use NRT for 10 to 12 weeks before they reduce the dose and stop altogether. 15 Ready to take the next step towards quitting? www.medbelle.com
Advice & Support It has been shown that people are much more likely to quit smoking with the help of a smoking cessation service, and individual or group support. Your first port of call when making the decision to stop smoking is your GP. All doctors are trained in the basics of helping people to stop smoking, but are usually not specialists in this area. Your GP will therefore refer you to your local smoking cessation service, which is a special team of expert doctors and nurses who will guide and support you through your journey. These services can be based in a hospital, GP surgery or a pharmacy. Your surgeon, GP and smoking cessation specialist will be happy to answer any questions you may have along the way. 16 Ready to take the next step towards quitting? www.medbelle.com
Medication For some people, prescription medication may be an alternative method to quitting smoking. Bupropion and Varenicline are prescription only medications that are also effective in helping smokers to quit. Your GP can help decide if they are suitable for you. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding or have certain medical problems such as epilepsy or bipolar disorder, you may not be able to take these medications. The prescription medications are usually taken for 2 weeks before quitting and a further 7 to 10 weeks after stopping smoking. 17 Ready to take the next step towards quitting? www.medbelle.com
Commitment to a new lifestyle Stopping smoking can be a life-changing experience. Despite the obvious benefits, it can be difficult to stay on track and not give into cravings. In order to stay committed to your new life as an ex-smoker, it can be helpful to focus on the reasons you decided to give up. Think about all of the health benefits and how you have worked so hard to reach this point. Sometimes, it can be hard to adjust to life without smoking. We encourage you to maintain your social life but be mindful of the temptation to smoke. If you live with smokers, encouraging them not to smoke in the house or leave cigarettes on display can also be really helpful to ensure that you are not tempted. 18 Ready to take the next step towards quitting? www.medbelle.com
Frequently Asked Questions Do I need a GP referral before contacting smoking cessation services? No, you don t need a referral. Your GP can refer you directly to the local service, but you can also self-refer and get in touch with the smoking cessation services directly, the choice is yours! What withdrawal symptoms will I have? Everyone has a different experience, but the main symptom is the urge to smoke. You may also feel tired, irritable, restless or find it hard to concentrate. Sometimes, people also have problems sleeping. It is important to remember that these effects are only temporary and that they will stop as your body gets used to life without cigarettes. Make sure you have a plan in place to combat them, either by distracting yourself or talking to a friend or family member. 19 Ready to take the next step towards quitting? www.medbelle.com
Frequently Asked Questions Will I gain weight? It is a well known fact that smoking reduces appetite and so when you quit, you may find yourself hungrier than before. You can overcome this by being aware of what you eat and having healthy snacks, as well as exercising more. Most people who do gain weight find that it is only temporary and settles once they get into a routine as a non-smoker. Can t I just cut down instead? Cutting down isn t the best way to stop smoking. However, if you feel you can t stop suddenly, then your GP may suggest a combination of NRT and professional support that you can use whilst lowering the number of cigarettes you smoke. This method can take much longer to result in you fully quitting and isn t as effective. If you do not stop completely, you may still not be eligible for surgery. 20 Ready to take the next step towards quitting? www.medbelle.com
Frequently Asked Questions How likely am I to start smoking again? It is very hard to say as everybody is different, as is every attempt to quit. Don t be put off if you have tried to quit before and not succeeded. Instead, think about what led you to start smoking again and work to ensure that you have a plan in place to stop it happening again. Many people need more than one attempt, so don t worry if you don t manage to quit at the first go. Can I switch to e-cigarettes instead? E-cigarettes are a relatively new product and appear to be less harmful than smoking as they don t contain tar. However, they still contain nicotine and are not well-regulated so it is often hard to know exactly what they contain. It is still much healthier to give up altogether rather than just to switch to e-cigarettes, especially as we do not know what their long term effects are yet. 21 Ready to take the next step towards quitting? www.medbelle.com
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Medbelle Disclaimer The information contained within this brochure is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by MB Global Health Ltd and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the brochure or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained in the brochure for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk. The information provided in this brochure is generalised to all patients and is not a substitute for professional medical and surgical care or advice provided by a qualified health professional. We strongly advocate that you follow the pre and post-operative advice and instructions of your surgeon, anaesthetist or other healthcare professional. In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of these brochures. Through this brochure you are able to link to external websites other than www.medbelle.com. These external websites are not under the control of MB Global Health Ltd. We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them. 24 Ready to take the next step towards treatment? www.medbelle.com