Best Facelift procedure for a smoker?

There is no safe facelift for a smoker. It is critical that the patient quit smoking prior to an elective cosmetic facelift procedure. The reason for this is the carbon monoxide from cigarette smoke is highly affinitive for red blood cells and basically starves the healing tissues of oxygen. The second... more

I'm sure that not one of the physicians will say much more than stop smoking.  The risk of skin loss is so high in smokers that doing a facelift on a smoker is a set up for failure.  So my impression is that your dissatisfaction with your facial appearance isn't out weighed by your smoking... more

The best procedure for a smoker is to quit smoking. We recommend quitting for four weeks before and after surgery. The primary risk is skin loss secondary to compromised circulation. Depending on the patient's age and smoking history, I  will do a conservative facelift. These means limited surgery (as a... more

Plastic surgeons get nervous performing operations on smokers which involve undermining a lot of skin because cigarette smoking decreases the ability of the body to heal and the blood supply to the skin in numerous ways.  That said, we perform operations every day on smokers if the procedure does not... more

I like the mini face lift with minimal flaps for someone whom smokes.  There are some doctors whom will operate on smokers and some that will not.  I think it is always safest to assume that someone whom smokes will probably continue smoking after surgery and plan the surgery accordingly and do a... more

Hi, frankly I would strongly advise against any type of facelift if you smoke.  The risks of skin necrosis (the skin turns black and sloughs off) and subsequent scarring are very real.  If you are planning to spend the time and money for a facelift, it's in your best interest to be smoke-free... more

Smokers must stop smoking before and after surgery, period.  The risks of large patches of dead skin and permanent scarring are far too great in patients who are actively smoking.  In this matter there is little debate.  The question is how to deal with a smoker who has temporarily quit smoking... more

The safer of the 2 techniques is a deep plane facelift because less skin elevation is required to lift the face. But ideally being smoke free is the best case scenario.Have you sought professional help to stop smoking? My patients have had success with Welbutrin and there are newer drugs with good short... more

Smoking is the single most detrimental thing you can do to you face and skin second only to severe sun exposure or photo aging. Twin studies or comparisons have been done to evaluate the aging effect on the skin between a smoking and a non smoking twin and the aging process can be accelerated over 10... more

None It is not advisable to undergo any kind of facelift. You have a lot of other options available to improve your looks. Botox and filler injections can make a big difference. Especially fillers can be used for doing a 'liquid facelift' My favorite filler for that is Sculptra. In fact I have had... more