well. it entirely depends on how intense the effect is...considering you are 32, and have smoked for 20 yrs, i doubt if it would be clean..it will improve no doubt if you take some medications...but it will NEVER look like a non-smokers after you've smoked for 20 years... in btwn could you please tell m how did you bring yourself to quit? it would be of great help as i want my brother to quit smoking...:)

I don't know about X-rays, but apparently your chance of dying of smoking-related diseases falls back to non-smoker levels after about 10 years off the weed.

First of all GOOD FOR YOU! You'll be surprised how quickly you start to feel better! The down side is that you'll always get cravings for cigarettes...they may be few and far between most of the time, but they come up on you now and then! From what I've heard, the damage repairs itself faster than it was done. It might not ever be perfect, but I guess in 7 years or something like that you'll be about as good as new!

Attagirl! If no permanent damage was done to your lungs, then eventually, they will look pink and pretty again on those x-rays. Some nutritional supplements profess to speed up the body's natural process to support lungs and associated tissues, nerves, etc.

Congatulations. That took a lot of willpower, good for you. I have heard that in 20 years of not smoking, your lungs will be almost as clean as if you had not smoked.

GOOD FOR YOU. My uncle is dying of lung cancer. YES, give it a couple of years, not only will your lungs be clean but you won't have to worry about getting COPD, congestive heart failure & a ton of other problems later on in life. I'm a asshole because I'm typing this while smoking. I envy the courage you have

You Go, Snakey! Keep it up!

Top Man, Congrats on packin in....Just started to do the same myself (1week in and no smokes).... 15 years...The risk of sudden death from a heart attack is identical to that of non smokers.. 5-10 years.The risk of lung cancer is half of that of non smokers and 10-20 years is identical to that of non smokers 4-5 years. The risk of heart disease has dropped to that of a non smoker 1 year....The risk of sudden death is half of that of a non smoker 6-8months..Circulation improves,and blood components and cells lining your lungs return to normal 3 months, your lung cleaning mechanism (Cilia) will be working normally again 2 months..your blow flow to your limbs improves, you should have more energy 3 days...Your taste buds come alive and your sense of smell returns YES.........Your lungs can return back to health, you will not need medication.....and your chest X-Ray will certainly be clean...(Can you tell I've been researching this stuff over the last few weeks) GOOD LUCK, I totally understand what you're going through right now

I am 33 yrs old and I quit 4 months ago. I've been smoking for 16 years. quit for 2 years before. and started again Trust me when I say it is the best thing you can do for yourself. For me the hardest time was during my nicotine withdrawal. Cold sweats, paranoia, fatigue etc etc was common for me. I couldn't think straight during that time frame. Just goes to show you how bad an addiction tobacco is. On my last day as a smoker I weighed 233 lbs. @ 5'-11" male. now after 4 months I am 214 lbs I eat completely healthy, no fast food no fried no processed foods, no sugars, no refined flour etc, I exercise at least 3 times a week. my goal is to be 175 lbs. As you can see I am very determined. I feel 1000% better, I have more money and I have completely lost the desire to smoke. For a while my nose was always runny, i had terrible sinuses but things are slowly bettering themselves. my tonsils get enflamed every so often but something I can live with. To answer your question "is the damage permanent?" does it matter? At some point we will all pass one. The point is to live a fruitful and healthy life. PS I apologize for the randomness of my post. Theodore

Joking about cancer of any kind is not cool. Stop to consider how cancer has affected so many people's lives before being so careless with your remarks.

I don't think it'll happen overnight but you'll be a lot healthier regardless.

I quit smoking 35 days ago. I smoked almost a pack a day for 15 years. I quit cold turkey. The first week was a bitch and after that has been quite easy. I still crave smokes when I see packs of them, but I don’t like the smell of them anymore. 75 days ago I quit weed as well. I smoked a joint a day for 14 years. Very rarely do I crave a joint. Joints do way more damage to your lungs than smokes, since they have 10 times the tar. I think my lungs were or are as bad as yours. They say that the chance of your lungs looking clean is slim, but they also say the chance of quitting smoking is slim. I believe your lungs will look clean one day. To all you people quitting smoking, its only the first week that’s hard. You will find your brain will try and trick you into smoking, don’t do it ... it’s only a week you really got to wait till it become easy... good luck!

just see this topic an go through the Chest X ray notes http://chestxray.hpage.com

wow your doing really good! I have been quit for 1 Month, 3 Weeks, (51 day's) The first two weeks are the hardest. I chew gum, drink loads of water, and get out walking. Ive tried quitting before my longest was 3 years. Ive gained weight, im 56 kg's Im going back to <a href="http://www.livestrong.com/diet-and-weight-loss/diets/weight-watchers/" title="weight watchers" style="", class="stronglinks" target="_blank" />weight watchers</a> so I can be my healthy 55 kgs agian. Dont let the weight put you off. Its easy to loose. and remember NEVER TAKE ANOTHER PUFF!! :) :)