Puff of smoke at startup - revisited

[holmem]

After searching this topic, I see that there has been past discussion, and what appears to be divided camps. But all that aside, my past experience and general "shade tree mechanic" mentality tells me that indeed oil is slowly seeping past the valve seals while the car sits overnight. It immediately burns off at start-up, and all is well afterwards. But eventually I'm assuming the leak-through gets excessive and these seals need replacing. Hence my question:
Is changing out the valve seals something that can be tackled in one's garage with simple tools, or should this be done by a professional mechanic? I'm willing to tackle just about anything that doesn't require purchasing a bunch of new specialized tools. Any opinions are welcomed.
Thanks in advance for your responses.
Mike

[Brian R.]

Part of the answer would depend on the engine and model year of the car you are worried about.

[holmem]

Sorry Brian - I've been on here in the past, but forgot to mention the details.
Anyway, the car in question is a 2000 Camry with the 4 cylinder engine. Has 147K miles on it. I drive it for my work vehicle, so put an average of 100 miles a day, mostly highway miles. Runs great - starts great. Its just that the puff of white smoke has slowly increased in volume over the last two years as the mileage adds up. The only time I see it is during initial startup in morning.

Mike

[Mike Gerber]

Have you montiored the oil consumption to see how much oil you are going through? It may not be as bad as you think.

Mike

[Brian R.]

A puff of white smoke is more likely to be indicative of a coolant leak in the head gasket, rather than an oil leak. Oil smoke is usually a dark color.

Keep an eye on your coolant level, as well as the appearance of your dipstick oil. Pay particular attention to any change in oil color which would be due to coolant contamination. You may need a new head gasket.