Smoking is widely known for its detrimental effects on your heart and lungs, but did you know it also significantly increases your risk of developing leg wounds?
This connection might not be immediately obvious, but understanding how smoking affects your entire body — legs included! — might help give you the courage to consider smoking cessation.
Our providers at Vascular Specialists are experts when it comes to vascular issues — related to smoking or not — so if you’re concerned about leg wounds, don’t hesitate to reach out. In the meantime, here’s what you need to know about smoking and leg wounds.
Smoking causes all of your blood vessels to constrict — not just the ones in your legs. However, constricted blood vessels make it more difficult for adequate blood flow to reach your extremities.
This decreased circulation means that less blood is delivered to your injured tissues. Any wounds on your legs are slow to heal because your body, which normally uses bloodborne oxygen to help heal wounds, just isn’t getting enough blood flow.
Poor circulation causes another problem. It can lead to a condition known as peripheral artery disease (PAD), which significantly raises the risk of developing chronic leg wounds.
It’s a vicious cycle: Smoking impairs circulation, which can delay wound healing, and at the same time, poor circulation also increases the risk that you have PAD and develop those wounds in the first place.
Not only does smoking contribute to poor circulation, but it also depletes oxygen from your blood.
Cigarette smoke contains carbon monoxide, which binds to hemoglobin in your blood and reduces your blood’s ability to carry oxygen. When your body’s oxygen supply is compromised, wounds are more likely to develop and heal slowly.
Nicotine is a known immunosuppressive, so it’s not much of a surprise that smoking weakens your immune system. The chemicals in tobacco smoke impair the function of several types of immune cells, and when your immune system is compromised, even minor cuts or abrasions on your legs can become infected.
The toxins in cigarette smoke damage the collagen and elastin fibers in your skin. Over time, this damage makes your skin thinner and more fragile, and thinner skin is more susceptible to damage.
Smoking also contributes to dry skin, which is more prone to cracking and breaking. Cracks in your skin provide entry points for infection-causing pathogens.
Smokers experience significantly delayed wound healing compared to nonsmokers. This is true for post-op recovery, minor cuts, and more serious ulcers.
The combined effects of reduced blood flow, lower oxygen levels, a weakened immune system, and damaged skin integrity create a perfect storm for slow- or non-healing wounds.
Smoking can increase your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by up to 40%, and diabetes can further exacerbate your risk of leg wounds.
Diabetes can cause nerve damage and poor circulation — both of which contribute to the development of chronic wounds, particularly on your legs and feet. If you smoke and have diabetes, the risk of leg wounds is even higher due to the compounded effects of both conditions.
If you’re a smoker concerned about leg wounds, taking steps to quit smoking is one of the most effective ways to reduce your risk. Indiana and Illinois both have smoking cessation resources.
Here are some additional strategies to help protect your legs:
The Vascular Specialists team may recommend minimally invasive treatments to address PAD to help reduce future issues. We can help manage your leg wound with compression therapy, medication, wound debridement, wound dressing, and infection control.
Because ulcers can lead to serious complications such as gangrene and amputation, don’t postpone professional wound care. Click here or give us a call at 815-824-4406 to schedule a wound care appointment in our Munster, Indiana, or Tinley Park, Illinois, office.
