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Is 12 Days off Smoking Long Enough for Breast Lift and Implants?

On the day of my surgery, I will be smoke-free for 12 days (cold turkey). Is that long enough for a successful breast implant and breast lift surgery, and good healing? I am a 28-year-old female in good health (if that matters). I'm not going to start smoking afterwards. I QUIT!

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age 25-34 smoking

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21 Doctor Answers | Asked by mrs.colbert in Elberfeld, IN

Doctor Answers (21)
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How long should I quit smoking prior to surgery?

In general 2 weeks of no smoking prior to surgery is long enough. It is also important not to smoke afterwards. As you know, smoking can adversely affect wound healing. You should be OK but do not smoke, and this includes second hand smoke as well. Hope this helps. Tracy M. Pfeifer, MD, MS

When to Stop Smoking Prior to Breast Implants/Breast Lift

Smoking Effects on Breast Augmentation Most experts unanimously agree that smoking increases the rate of breast augmentation surgical complications significantly. Just about all plastic surgeons strongly recommend women to stop smoking and all nicotine products well in advance of breast augmentation with breast implants. Many plastic surgeons recommend stopping all tobacco products several months prior to surgery. Here is the reason why: the nicotine in cigarettes... more

Smoking and Breast Augmentation/Lifting?

Thank you for the question. You should be free of any type of nicotine product for at least 4 to 6 weeks prior to breast augmentation/ mastopexy surgery. This holds true for other plastic surgical procedures that involve flaps, such as facelifting and tummy tuck surgery. Nicotine behaves as a vasoconstrictor of blood vessels thereby decreasing blood flow to tissues ( that need to receive blood flow to heal after surgery). A decrease in this blood flow may... more

Cigarettes and breast surgery

Cigarettes increase the complication rate significantly. In some studues they suggest by almots 50%! I recommend patients stop 3-4 weeks priior to surgery and remain off for at least that time after surgery.

Steven Wallach, MD

12 reviews

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Is 12 Days off Smoking Long Enough for Breast Lift and Implants?

Althouhgh breast augmentation is a relatviely lower risk procedure when it comes to tobacco use, it is generally advised that smokers refrain for a minimum of 2-4 weeks prior to surgery to lower their risks.

Otto Joseph Placik, MD

32 reviews

Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Don't smoke for at least 2 weeks before breast lift with breast implants.

HI. The question is not what you can get away. The idea is to minimize risk. In New York City, we prefer at least two weeks smoke free before breast lift with breast implants.

Smoking and breast lifting

In my opinion, you should be at least one month free of ALL nicotine including patches, gum and second hand smoke. The risks of skin death are at least minimized by that period of waiting as has been shown by research studies. The procedure is elective and not an emergency and you should do it when you are in as good shape for it as possible. I would personally cancel your surgery and reschedule it for later.

Breast Lift and Smoking

I would say no. It is recommended by the plastic surgeon society and the literature that 2 weeks is what is needed. But I would recommend a minimum of 2 weeks, really want 4 weeks of smoke free, not even 1 cigarette. It is a risk, you may be fine you may not be. It is difficult to predict who will have problems and who will not. Hope that helps.

Smoking and Surgery.

It is impossible to say for sure whether 12 days off cigarettes before surgery is long enough or not. In fact, I cannot even say whether you absolutely need to stop before surgery. All I can do is give you the statistics on wound healing, skin loss and poor scaring in smokers when compared to non-smokers. Those statistics show that smokers are 20 times more likely to have the above-mentioned problems than are non-smokers in procedures such as the one you are contemplating. Smokers are... more

In general, at least 2 weeks off smoking before breast augmentation

Smoking could adversly affect wound healing, post operative recovery in general. An important factor is the degree of dissection needed for the breast lift. For procedures that require minimal dissection (e.g eyelid surgery, breast augmentation, etc.), I ask for 2 weeks at least. For more involving procedures like tummy tuck, I like to have at least 6 weeks. The data in the literature is not clear about the duration needed for the micro vascular changes to be reversed. I also modify my... more

Smoking is a risk, though unlikely to complicate breast augmentation or lift

It is well known that smoking is detrimental to ones health and can cause problems healing after surgery. We advise that those that do smoke to stop at least two weeks before breast augmentation or breast lift, though longer if possible. I do know that many of our augmentation or breast lift patients will smoke right on through their procedure and the risk is a relative one. We have seen no ill effects concerning healing or infection, but recovery may be slowed a bit as related to... more

Risks of smoking with breast surgery

Ms. Colbert, As you have read in the other responses the risk is that of a decreased blood supply to healing tissues and with a breast lift the nipple and areola is moved. A potential decrease in the blood supply to ANY tissue can lead to poor wound healing, worsened scars and possible loss of tissue. I have my patients not smoke or be exposed to any tobacco product for at least 2 weeks before any surgery. I may ask for longer in some more complicated revision cases where the tissues are... more

Smoking and breast implant surgery

In general, it is recommended to quit smoking completely for 2-12 weeks prior to breast surgery, or any plastic surgery procedure. This is an elective procedure, and the longer you can wait prior to surgery, the fewer wound healing complications you will have. Twelve days is very close to 2 weeks, so this is not completely inappropriate, but if you absolutely want to improve your chances of having a good outcome, waiting longer is best. Also, related to breast implants, the incidence of... more

Not for me, but

The big issue is the lift part, as this procedure impairs blood supply, while on the other hand, the implants will cause the skin to be tighter, both together increase wound healing complications and the risk of tissue loss. Although there are no definitive studies on this, I prefer that my patients be off of smoking a month before and a month after surgery, and while they are at it, just stay quit!

Stop smoking at least a month before breast lift and implants

Dear Ms. Elberfeld, When you ask "Is 12 days off smoking long enough ?" I am ASSUMING you are asking, to paraphrase, Is 12 days off smoking long enough for breast lift and implants SAFELY? After all if you were in a car accident and needed emergency surgery, your smoking status will be of consideration as regards your airway behavior but would NOT preclude an emergency operation. Since Cosmetic surgery is BOTH elective and discretionary - we have a MUCH LOWER threshold for... more

Smoking and surgery

Dear Mrs. Colbert Good luck on your decision to have surgery. I advise all my patients to stop smoking as far in advance of surgery as possible. I understand that smoking is addictive and very difficult to quit, but once you have started by not smoking before surgery keep it up after surgery. Unfortunately, smoking (nicotine) is a severe vasoconstrictor (decreases blood flow) which affects healing and scars. This is extremely important in surgery like breast lifts with implants, facelifts,... more

Need to make the committment 3 months

I have my patients be smokeless for 3 months prior to breastlift surgery. Why?, because if they are smokeless for three months they are not going to start smoking soon after the surgery. Psychologically if some one has stopped for up to 3 weeks before surgery they may feel OK about smoking again sooner after surgery because the procedure is done and they survived and one smoke here or there won't hurt. I can tell by the wound healing when patients have started smoking again. It is... more

Smoking and breast surgery

There is no absolute answer. Breast implants with simultaneous lift can have significant risks of healing problems even without a smoking history. The surgery should be carefully planned out to limit these risks some of which are related to location and size of implants, and position and length of incisions. Two weeks is probably sufficient to eliminate the acute effects of nicotine. Your surgeon can also look into the use of hyperbaric oxygen treatment if healing becomes a problem... more

Robin T.W. Yuan, MD

4 reviews

Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

Quitting smoking prior to blepharoplasty

Dr. Pfeifer's advice is correct,but for many of my patients a bleparoplasty MAY have saved there lives because it was the imepetus to quit for good!!

Smoking and Surgery

Smoking increases many risks of surgery. Typically stopping smoking completely - no puffs either - 3wks before surgery is ideal and, of course, no smoking afterwards for one month while you are healing. That is just to minimize the short term effects. The long term effects will take much longer to improve. Avoiding second hand smoke is also very important. Smoking increases your chances of having slow or poor healing which leads to bad scarring. By itself and specially combined with use of... more

How long to quit smoking before surgery?

The short answer is 2 weeks is typically what is required, but there are two issues to be aware of. One is the chronic effect on blood vessels from a history of smoking, which impairs blood flow which in turn affects wound healing. The acute effect is related to the fact that nicotine is a vasoconstrictor, meaning that it causes the capillaries that deliver blood and oxygen to the tissues are squeezed down. With some operations, specifically breast lift, tummy tuck, and facelift, the skin... more