Why Do I Have to Stop Smoking for a Breast Lift?

I have had several surgerys in the past and healed just fine so why is a breast lift any different 2 doctors told me they would not have to move or down size my nipples if I do smoke what could happen

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8 Doctor Answers | Asked by 6424anon in texas

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Nicotine = blood vessel narrowing = distant tissue death and wound separation

No medical condition in the history of the universe has profited doctors and undertakers more than Nicotine (and the hundreds of other toxins in cigarettes). Nicotine has been proven to directly or indirectly cause hundreds of diseases and conditions including, heart disease, PAD with loss of toes and feet, high blood pressure, COPD, asthma, bronchitis, lung cancer, skin damage, impotence etc etc. When as Plastic surgeons we undermine a large area of the skin, we greatly depend... more

Breast Lifting and Nicotine?

Nicotine is constrictor of blood vessels, decreasing blood flow to tissues that need to flow to heal after surgery. When plastic surgeons do operations that involve longer incisions and/or tissue flaps, the blood flow to these areas become critical. Without the blood flow ( or a decreased blood flow secondary to the effects of nicotine) healing can be compromised and/or tissue may not survive. For this reason, most plastic surgeons will not operate on patients who smoke... more

Smoking and surgery

Smoking should be stopped about 3-4 weeks prior to surgery and continued for 3-4 weeks after surgery until all wounds have healed. Smoking increases complication rates by almost 50% as reported in some medical studies.

Steven Wallach, MD

12 reviews

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Wound healing with smoking is like growing a plant without water.

A breast lift requires lifting of the skin which limits the blood supply to the skin. The nicotine and carbon monoxide int tobacco smoke compromise the already limited blood supply making tissue death and wound separation at least 50 times more likely. Wound healing with compromised blood supply is like trying to grow a plant in the desert. It is in your best interests to stop smoking and shows that your surgeon is exercising good judgment.

Otto Joseph Placik, MD

33 reviews

Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Smoking and surgery

Smoking causes constriction of the blood vessels. In many surgeries this really does not matter much since there is usually an abundance of blood vessels feeding each area. However, in procedures like a breast lift where the surgery itself reduces the blood supply to the tissuse, smoking will reduce the remaining blood supply and can do so enough to cause enough decrease that the nipple or parts of the skin dies. For this operation, continuing to smoke raises the risk of... more

Smokers have increased risk of wound complications when undergoing cosmetic surgery

Smoking and chemicals in cigarette smoke tighten small blood vessels and decrease blood flow to healing tissues. A breast lift involves cutting the breast and skin and moving the nipple to a higher position on the breast. Blood supply is partially cut during this procedure so healing depends on the adequacy of the blood flow left behind. Cigarette smoking increases the risk that this blood supply will not be adequate, increasing the risk of wound breakdown, nipple loss and... more

Smoking and plastic surgery carries specific risks

Breast lifts, tummy tucks, and facelifts all have something in common which is underminig the skin and pulling it into a new position. These 2 factors put strain on the blood flow to the skin, and if you add a blood vessel constrictor drug such as nicotine the blood flow to that area can shut down completely. The result is dead tissue, which can be a horrendous problem. Surgeries that don't involves this sort of extra strain on blood circulation to the skin in the surgical site... more

Breast lifts and smoking

There are a lot of toxic chemical is cigarette smoke, but the nicotine is one of our big worries. It causes narrowing of the blood vessels in your body, including the ones carrying blood to and from the nipple. During a breast lift, the blood supply to the nipple can be stressed, and if you are smoking as well, then there is a risk that the nipple will not have an adequate blood supply and could die. For this reason, many of us ask patients who smoke to stop doing so... more