It’s Stoptober this month, the innovative campaign to encourage the nation’s 8 million smokers to give up by signing up to the 28 day challenge. There are more than 4,000 chemicals in one cigarette including poisons, carcinogens and heavy toxic metals, which increase your risk of heart disease, lung disease and other conditions. While many people know about the risk of cancer from smoking, very few people think about the damage that smoking causes in the veins. The harmful chemicals in cigarettes have a major effect on all of the blood vessels in the body, which increases a person’s risk for venous disease. The following are processes that occur in the body of a smoker:

• Chemicals thicken blood and reduce oxygen, which slows blood flow


• Blood pressure increases by 10 to 15 percent


• Arteries harden and narrow, which makes it two to four times more likely for blood clots to occur

Aside from the obvious benefits of quitting smoking, when you quit smoking, your blood pressure almost instantly improves. Less pressure on those veins means less of them turning varicose! If you think you have varicose veins, why not book yourself an appointment at one of our Open Evenings at either one of our clinics; Bond Street, Liverpool, Guildford, Manchester, Poole and Bristol. For more information, book a free discovery call or send us an email at [email protected].