This very strange conversation can help smokers to kick the habit for good

Researchers investigating the habits of plastic surgery patients who smoked found something very, very strange.

Patients who had been advised to quit for a few weeks in the run-up to an operation tended to cut down – or even stop smoking for good.

Researchers believe it could be due to conversations about the specific risks posed by smoking to the skin – which might give patients the ‘push’ they need to quit for good.

The study of 42 daily smokers found that 70% agreed that they had reduced their smoking habit in the wake of discussing the risks with their plastic surgeon.

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Even more surprisingly, 40% said they no longer smoked daily – and 25% had not smoked at all in five years after their surgery.

Lead author Aaron C Van Slyke said, ‘I think perhaps what we saw with our study is the power of targeted messaging when trying to promote healthy lifestyle behaviors in patients.

‘We showed that specifically discussing the adverse effects of smoking on the patient’s surgical outcome was more influential in helping patients quit smoking than a discussion around the general negative effects of smoking on their health.’