Smoking Before Plastic Surgery?

2 weeks is probably enough time but most doctors allow a bit more time to allow the patient to commit to their non-smoking regimen. The nicotine and toxins are out of the system fairly quickly, but the desire to have a cigarette may not be. Therefore a buffer zone is a good policy. Although there are studies for and against this concept, I believe chronic smokers, even patients who have quit recently, still have an increased incidence of complications. Smoking causes greatly increased... more

Hi there- The critical thing for you to understand is that your surgeon recommended this time period to you not because he or she did not want to operate on you, but because they are concerned for your safety, and they want to maximize the probability that you will achieve the great outcome and smooth recovery you want. The longer you go without nicotine, the better the chances will be that you will indeed get this desired smooth recovery free from complications and with a beautiful outcome... more

I would echo Dr. Rand's thoughts. There is no doubt that nicotine of any kind will inhibit your body's ability to heal, in particular a procedure such as a tummy tuck. You should take your doc's advice very seriously-- in may cases, once patients are forced to quit nicotine in order to have a procedure they really want, after the procedure they see no reason to restart the smoking. In other words, they use it as a powerful motivator to quit smoking for good, which does wonders for their... more

Make a commitment to yourself to have the best possible outcome possible and don't skimp. These surgeries are a big financial and emotional investment. If you can't stop smoking, don't have surgery. If you try and cheat, please don't blame your surgeon for any complications because he/she is trying to protect you. We all take problems after surgery very personally and don't want anything bad to happen to anyone! I say 4 weeks minimum for a tummy tuck and if I find that they are... more

Your doctor is only trying to help you avoid a disastrous complication from your tummy tuck (not the augmentation). When you are exposed to nicotine in any form (cigarettes, gums, patches, second hand smoke) your skin circulation is compromised such that doing a tummy tuck, beast lift or facelift can result is serious complications. I am not going to candy coat the problem here because I want you to clearly understand what can happen if you don't comply with this. The skin will die,... more

The by products of tobacco smoke undoubtedly cause a decrease in blodd flow in smaller blood vessels that are carrying oxygen, nutrients and antibiotics to your healing tissues. Although I have my patients stop smoking or have any exposure to any tobacco products for two weeks before most surgeies, I would be happier if they stopped earlier or quit altogether. You simply increase your risks of complications by continuing to smoke around the time of surgery. Dr Edwards