Smoking Electronic Cigarette Ok After Breast Aug/lift?

Thank you for your question. Smoking before or after your surgery can increase your risk of developing complications including infection and wound healing problems. I tell my patients that it is ideal to stop a couple months ahead of surgery and then for a couple months after surgery.  This also includes electronic cigarettes.

When one smokes, or uses tobacco in any form, there is vascular constriction. Nicotine is a major vasoconstrictor. Good wound healing is all about getting enough blood supply to the area. The incision in a breast augmentation with lift will be put on tension. Tension is the enemy of good wound healing, and coupled with decreased blood flow in smokers, finds the patient at higher risk of wound problems. Our office does not do facelifts on smokers. Breast reductions/lifts and tummy tucks are on tension and the chance of them falling apart is many fold higher. Please stop using nicotine, (for dozens of reasons).                  

Hello! Thank you for your question! The issue with nicotine, or other inhalants in smoke, is that it also acts as a vasoconstrictor, clamping down of blood vessels. Blood supply is always of great concern during any surgical procedure, but especially in such a procedure as breast surgery where the viability of the nipple-areolar complex is obviously important. Since the vascularity to the area is already tenuous since it will be raised by cutting around the area, maximizing blood flow to the tissue is critical. Typically, we recommend at least 6 weeks of smoking cessation prior to any surgical procedure. Nicotine and others always increase the risk for infection and wound complications, as well as other health consequences, especially with general anesthesia and pulmonary issues. I would discuss this with your surgeon prior to your procedure. Hope that this helps! Best wishes!

It's probably safer if you avoid electronic cigarettes as well as regular cigarettes. While ecigarettes may not have the same number of harmful chemicals, they can still compromise your recovery and increase the risk of complications.

Any form of nicotine be it cigarettes, nicotine gum, lozenges, chewing tobacco, patches or e-cigarettes  all share the same risk as smoking. For breast implant augmentation surgery this means a significantly higher risk of capsular contracture.