After quitting smoking, can the blackened lungs become "white" again? Here comes the answer...

If you smoke for a long time and accidentally make your lungs black, how can you get rid of this dirt?

Quitting smoking, flushing lungs, or replacing lungs? Which one is feasible? Is it worth doing?

There are rumors that "lung washing" is effective, so some people go to see a doctor, which makes the doctor look puzzled:

Can you wash your lungs whenever you want?

Why haven’t I heard that your skin will become whiter after washing?

"Lung lavage" is to insert a tube into the bronchus, inject saline solution and then draw it out. It is mainly used to treat infectious diseases. For example, if you suffer from severe lung abscess, the pus is difficult to cough out and you need the help of lung lavage.

The harm caused by smoking is different.

First of all, when smoking, the damage caused by harmful gases in tobacco and the lesions caused by them cannot be washed away;

Secondly, the inhaled harmful substances do not float on the surface of the lungs, they are deposited in the lungs and cannot be solved by washing.

Moreover, lung lavage can cause slight trauma to the lungs. During the process, people may experience allergies to anesthetic drugs, pulmonary edema, lung infection, etc. There is currently no evidence to prove that lung lavage is beneficial for smokers.

So, this method doesn’t work.

The best way to restore your blackened lungs is to quit smoking .

After quitting smoking for a period of time, the self-cleaning function of the lungs will gradually improve, the immune system in the alveoli will be strengthened, it can engulf and kill some pathogens, and then expel some "waste" from the lungs through metabolism and coughing.

As the amount of deposited waste decreases, the lungs are not as dark as before, but they cannot recover completely.

This is because smoking causes irreversible damage to lung function, such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis, and the lungs also age with age.

In other words, the lung function is damaged and weakened, and it is impossible to completely "recover".

Don’t give up on yourself. The sooner you quit smoking, the greater the chances of recovering your lung function. After 30 years of quitting, your risk of lung cancer drops to the same level as a non-smoker[1]. In other words, quitting smoking can save lives.

Some people question the view that "only by quitting smoking can the blackened lungs recover", thinking:

"Medical technology is so advanced now that we can replace a heart, so why can't we replace a lung?"

This idea directly changed the direction of the discussion, just like replacing a broken refrigerator instead of repairing it. It’s a good idea, but it’s a bit naive.

Clinically speaking, lungs can be replaced, but people who don't know much about it think that replacing a lung seems very easy.

Not to mention how expensive it is, this type of organ transplant surgery has very strict requirements on the patient's physical fitness, age and other conditions, and a suitable donor must be found. Even if these conditions are met, there are still surgical risks.

Therefore, having money does not necessarily mean you can get a replacement. The key is whether you have lungs that meet the requirements.

If the lung is not completely necrotic, it is not recommended to replace it. You can cut off the damaged part and leave the good part. This is because: the lung has two lobes, and removing part of the lung lobe generally does not affect the overall function .

"Replacing" or "removing" the lungs are all last resorts. I suggest that you do not put yourself in a dilemma where you have no choice. Quitting smoking as soon as possible is better than anything else.

Warm reminder: If you want to prevent your lungs from turning black, in addition to quitting smoking, you must also prevent lung diseases. Tuberculosis, pneumoconiosis, lung cancer and other diseases can also cause black lungs.

There is a lot of mineral dust in the working environment. If you don’t wear a mask or the mask is of poor quality, you will inhale too much dust and easily get pneumoconiosis.

Infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis may cause pulmonary tuberculosis;

Long-term exposure to highly polluted environments (including smoking) may induce lung cancer.

Therefore, while quitting smoking, you should also pay attention to environmental hygiene, take protective measures, wear a mask, and especially stay away from highly polluted areas.

References

[1]US Department of Health and Human Services. How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease: What It Means to You. Atlanta: US Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2010 [accessed 2017 Apr 20].

Author: Lina