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Many patients struggle before their surgery with quitting smoking. I realized quitting is quite impossible for some, but decreasing the number of cigarettes is a big step. Some patients are able to stop smoking completely and if you can 2 weeks prior the surgery sounds great. Your body will get a chance to cleanse from nicotine and that will help out with the healing process. Ideally you should be at least 6 weeks without a single cigarette
Smoking brings a significant risk of cancer, stroke, heat attack, etc. From a Plastic Surgery standpoint it is a vasoconstrictor. Wound healing is all about getting oxygen and needed entities to the wound. It is well known that patient who smoke have a tremendous increase in their rate of serious complications, (infections, wounds falling apart, etc.). Nicotine is the main vasoconstrictor, so getting a patch or lozenge of nicotine won't help the vasoconstriction. Best to be off the tobacco/nicotine entirely before surgery. Please be honest with your Board Certified Plastic Surgeon. Together you can make a plan to quit and proceed with surgery. The amount of time between quitting and surgery will depend on the Plastic Surgeon and the procedure.
Smoking is very detrimental to the recovery process following surgery. It compromises your immune system making your body less effective in fighting infection. It also hinders circulation making the recovery process slower. I usually recommend my patients stop smoking about four weeks before surgery. Please ask your surgeon for their advice.
Hello! Thank you for your question! The issue with nicotine 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 a breast augmentation where the viability of theskin/tissue, and 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 and at least 6 weeks after any surgical procedure. The longer, the better. Nicotine always increases the risk for infection, nipple necrosis, poor scarring, and wound complications, as well as other health consequences including blood clots. The anesthesia risk is greater with general anesthesia as well as pulmonary issues/lung infections postoperatively. I would discuss this with your surgeon prior to your procedure. Hope that this helps! Best wishes!
I recommend that you stop smoking for at least six weeks prior to tummy tuck and no cigarettes for six weeks after either in order to properly heal. Smoking poses serious risk for complications in tummy tucks.
I don’t operate on people that smoke. I think they have a 10 fold increased risk for complications. I recommend the patient stops smoking for 6 weeks before. I do not operate on patients who smoke and desire a procedure that requires skin undermining like a facelift, tummy tuck, breast reduction or mastopexy as the risks for skin loss are too high. They can stop smoking for 6 weeks and I will reconsider doing their procedure.
There are 3 operations that carry the most risk in smokers and they are the "lifting" ones...Breast, Tummy and Face...I recommend to my patients at least 3 weeks before but...there is still a risk of problems including larger areas of dead skin on your tummy. One suggestion as well is that if you sneak a few cigs before surgery, please tell your doctor...They really need to know and may be able to make some changes at surgery to help reduce problems for you..
I reccomend at least three weeks of smoking cessation before and three weeks after surgery. Even then, you may have a slightly increased of wound healing problems because of the longer term effects of nicotine.
In my practice, I require patients to stop all nicotine containing products for four weeks before surgery and continue for at least four weeks postoperatively. While you may not have a complication after only two weeks, the potential for skin and tissue loss is still high and if it does happen, you will wish that you had stopped for the full four weeks. Extensive tissue loss is not easily correctable once the excess tissue has been removed by the tummy tuck. At best, you will have a pulled up scar. At worst, you can be left with an open wound that can take months to heal and could even require skin grafting.
I can’t stress it enough: A cigarette habit greatly compromises healing. Smoking triggers the release of skin-damaging free radicals, increases swelling, worsens scarring, and impedes healing by limited blood flow to the skin. If you smoke, you should refrain for at least two weeks before your procedure and two weeks after. That’s a month without nicotine, during a time when you’re likely to be anxious about undergoing and recovering from surgery. Since cutting out cigarettes will undoubtedly frazzle you further, I’d far prefer it, of course, if you started cutting back well before that two-week sentence. It’s a bad idea to be smoking regularly before you have surgery, and an even worse idea after.
