It’s easy to postpone the day you want to quit smoking, and almost any excuse will do.

But know this: Smokers who quit before their 50th birthday can cut their risk of dying over the following 15 years in half, according to the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

An ingrained psychological habit

In South Africa, 17.6% of all adults smoke tobacco, with men four times more likely to smoke than women. Out of current tobacco smokers, 29.3% have already been advised to quit smoking by their health practitioners, according to a survey published by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) 

As you get yourself mentally ready to stop smoking, it’s important to recognise that, besides dealing with a nicotine addiction, quitting smoking means changing a deeply ingrained psychological habit.

You can help this process along by identifying the situations that make you want to smoke and steering clear of them.

Here are some ways to kick-start and create your own plan to quit smoking:

1. Shake up your routine

Smoking is often embedded in your work routine. Make changes to your routine at the office.

For example, if you always take a work break with co-workers who smoke, you’ll want to take breaks with nonsmokers or do something completely different, like go for a short walk or sit down for a cup of coffee and a quick talk.

2. Take a deep breath

Many people smoke because it helps them handle stress, depression and other negative emotions. Look for other ways to handle these feelings, like exercise, meditation, relaxation and even simple deep breathing.

3. Break the link between drinking and smoking

If having a drink makes you want to light up, switch to nonalcoholic beverages, munch on raw veggies, or chew on gum or even a straw when you’re out with friends. Socialise in places where smoking is prohibited. Some people find it helps to give up alcohol (or soda or coffee) for the first several months to break the association between the cigarette and the beverage.

4. Get support 

Let loved ones who smoke know you’re trying to quit and are changing your habits to give yourself the best possible chance of success. Ask for their support by not smoking around you.

                                                                                        

^{All images provided by iStock}

Read more:

Are you ready to quit smoking?

Here’s your chance to stop smoking

What does your smoking mean to you?

In partnership with SA’s top medical aesthetic companies

We wouldn’t dream of painting a wall or wood without first stripping away the old paint and sanding it to create a smooth surface, so that the new paint goes on smoothly and doesn’t flake off. In the same way, if we want to get the best out of our skin care and have a smooth, radiant complexion, we need to remove the layers of dead cells on the skin’s surface.

Find everything you need to know about why you should exfoliate here. Now we will focus on superficial exfoliation – which every one of us should make part of our regular skin care routine.

Because exfoliation can have such a remarkable effect on our skins, skin-care professionals (medical and therapists alike) recommend a combination of in-clinic treatments, supported by home exfoliation with a medical skin care range.

Professional care

At Skin Renewal clinics, you will find medical spa skin treatments such as chemical peels and microdermabrasion not only remove the layers of dead skin on the skin’s surface, they also stimulate collagen production in the skin’s deeper layers, ultimately keeping the skin youthful.

Chemical peels (so called because they dissolve or break the bond that holds the old, dead cells to the skin chemically) are among the most effective and affordable treatments available. They vary in strength from superficial peels to more invasive medium and deep peels.

Medical aesthetic brand NeoStrata continue to be pioneers in this area, first using glycolic acid, an alpha-hydoxy acid, and continuing their advances into other ingredients that deliver powerful yet gentle exfoliation and anti-ageing benefits.

A superficial peel, aka ‘lunchtime peel’, doesn’t cause any redness or down time, so you can have this in your lunch hour and return to work with a healthy, even skin tone and smooth, clear complexion.

CAUTION: It is very important to have your skin and needs assessed by a trained professional, so they may recommend the correct chemical peel – not all skin types require the same treatment, and it can be a dangerous procedure if not applied correctly.

Microdermabrasion is another quick procedure with no downtime. The action is physical rather than chemical, and skin is gently polished with microcrystals, lifting dead skin cells off the surface of the skin, leaving the skin smoother, softer and more radiant.

The ideal complementary treatment to microdermabrasion is Dermapen. Now that the dead skin cells have been eliminated, this micro-needling treatment uses fine microneedles which puncture the skin, creating micro-channels through which active serums can penetrate effectively. It also stimulates the skin’s ability to heal itself. Following the Dermapen treatment, the skin destroys old, damaged tissue and replaces it with new and healthy skin. This encourages natural exfoliation and causes the stimulation of collagen.

Skin-care professionals recommend a home care routine to continue the good work you’ve started.

Home Care

If you want to maximise your skin care benefits, Skin Renewal recommends using products from a medical skin-care range rather than a cosmetic product because they are formulated with ingredients that are clinically tested and proven to have a beneficial effect on the skin. In addition their active ingredients are supplied in doses designed for maximum effectiveness and safety, and they should have proven track records. This gives you assurance that your product has active benefits and has been chosen specifically for your needs by your skin-care professional. NeoStrata are globally known for the heritage of research and science that has gone into their products.

To find out more about exfoliation treatments suitable for your skin type and the four pillars to addressing ageing skin, visit Skin Renewal.

Take the quick Beyond Beauty Survey and you could win a R2000 Skin Renewal voucher to spend in our online store, with free delivery within South Africa. T&Cs apply.