1. How Smoking Affects Your Looks and Life Slideshow
2. Tips to Quit Smoking Slideshow
3. Take the Quiz on Smoking

Medical Author:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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Medical Editor:

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.

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Diagnosing tobacco use or tobacco-related illness is not difficult.

Doctors should ask people about tobacco use at every visit and provide counseling about quitting.

Most people who smoke admit doing so, in part because smoking carries less social stigma than use of other substances, such as alcohol or illicit drugs. Smokers should be honest and not underestimate how much they smoke and for what length of time (for example, a pack a day since age 16), as this information helps the doctor understand the risk for tobacco-related disease.

Upon a physical exam, a doctor may find various conditions associated with chronic tobacco use.

• Nicotine causes a characteristic brown staining of the hard palate, teeth, fingers, and fingernails.
• A smoker's skin may wrinkle prematurely.
• Smokers have a typical odor to their hair and clothing.
• People with emphysema may have a large, barrel-shaped chest and a chronic cough that produces thick green sputum.

Occasionally, a smoker may have pulmonary function tests performed to help determine the amount of damage done to the lungs by smoking. For young teens, it may be best for physicians to ask the teen about his or her cigarette smoking history with the parents or caregivers out of the room.

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