23/12/2025
As a vascular surgeon, I see this far too often.
Patients come in with leg pain, cramps while walking, or wounds that just won’t heal. When we look deeper, many of them share one common factor — years of smoking.
Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) is not just poor circulation. It happens when the arteries supplying blood to your legs become narrow or blocked, reducing oxygen and nutrients to the tissues.
If PAD is ignored, it can progress to non-healing ulcers, gangrene, and in severe cases, limb loss.
Smoking plays a major role because it:
• Damages the inner lining of blood vessels
• Makes blood thicker and more prone to clots
• Speeds up plaque buildup inside arteries
The most important thing to know?
Smoking is the biggest preventable risk factor for PAD.
The moment you stop smoking, the damage stops progressing. While arteries may not return to normal overnight, they begin to recover, and blood flow can improve with proper care.
Your legs support you every day.
Don’t let smoking slowly take that freedom away.
If someone you care about smokes, this message could be their wake-up call. Share it.
