Tobacco: is the laser an effective technique to quit smoking?

Yasmina Kattou 06:10, May 31, 2022

This Tuesday is World No Tobacco Day.

In France, it is estimated that there are approximately 17 million smokers.

Each year, cigarettes kill 75,000 people (according to 2019 figures).

Tobacco causes asthma, cardiovascular problems and even cancer.

Some are ready to do anything to quit, including trying out unusual techniques.

“I had a little feeling of fullness”

"Laser anti-tobacco centers" promise smokers that in one session, smoking will be a distant memory.

Doctors are warning about these supposedly miracle techniques.

The cigarette punctuated Kevin's days for 15 years.

The 30-something smoked almost a pack a day.

But he quit overnight after an appointment at an anti-tobacco laser center.

Kevin went through a sort of acupuncture session in his ear that would target the addiction nerve endings. 

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"I had a little feeling of fullness, of joy, as if smoking was a thing of the past. I had tried several times before with the electronic cigarette or with the patches but it hadn't worked", he confides at the microphone of Europe 1. Since his session two months ago, Kevin has not touched a single cigarette.

However, no scientific study proves the effectiveness of the laser.

Daniel Thomas, vice-president of the alliance against tobacco recalls the methods validated by health professionals.

"Smokers should contact their doctor or a tobacco specialist"

"Smokers who want to quit smoking, they must contact their doctor or a tobacco specialist who will offer them nicotine patches as well as certain drugs that remove the urge to smoke when you are in difficulty", explains- he.

According to Daniel Thomas, the laser technique only works through the placebo effect and the smoker's desire to quit.