How soon after Rhinoplasty is it safe to start smoking again without affecting the healing process or causing any complications?

If you are a smoker and  preparing for the rhinoplasty surgery and also any other surgery under general anesthesia, it's important that you stop smoking for at least two weeks before and after the procedure.  Smoking significantly reduces your body's circulation and vascularity, also smokers generally heal slower and have an increased risk of other complications such as delayed healing, additional scarring. Additionally smoking after rhinoplasty may have a significant negative effect on recovering from anesthesia: airway obstruction; coughing related to smoking can cause increased bleeding. Individuals who are not exposed to tobacco smoke have a lower risk of any type of complications.

Thank you for your question. Quitting smoking all together is the best option. However, realistically waiting about 6 weeks should be okay. Smoking while recovering delays wound healing and may slow down the recovery time. The nicotine can make the blood clot more easily which can further clog small blood vessels and capillaries. These effects are extremely serious because they decrease the blood supply to the tissues, can result in wounds not healing, and can result in some devastating complications. Best option is to stop smoking all together. Best of luck!Dhaval M. Patel Double board certified Plastic surgeon Hoffman Estates Barrington Oakbrook Chicago

Frankly smoking is just plain bad as everyone now knows. It will have a negative effect on healing. It doesn't matter if its a hang nail procedure or micro vascular surgery. However that said, in the great majority of rhinoplasties, it won't make a clinically significant difference. You should still quit.

The healing process is particularly active for 6 weeks (called the proliferative phase) and takes close to 6 months after any surgery to truly assess the results. However, we typically advise our patients to avoid smoking a month before and after.

Thank you for the question. You should absolutely consult with your physician about your smoking habits in order to obtain the most reliable and individualized medical advice. Most specialists recommend abstaining from smoking for 2-3 weeks before a rhinoplasty, while others may insist on a full month or two. Smoking will cause irritation and restrict the blood flow to your healing areas, possibly causing complications during the recovery period.   
In addition, you should also make sure to avoid smoking for at least two weeks after surgery as it may interfere with your healing process. Smoking after surgery may restrict the flow of blood to the healing areas, exacerbate swelling, and prolong recovery. Of course, as a physician, I would advise you to quit smoking altogether due to a variety of health risks associated with it. 
 An in-person exam with a board-certified plastic surgeon would be the best way to assess your needs and obtain expert medical advice. Best of luck!

Here are the major points of smoking Tobacco or Marijuana before or after surgery:1. There is nicotine in tobacco, but not in marijuana. However, most joints are rolled with marijuana and tobacco combination. Nicotine is a vasoconstrictor that decreases blood flow to the tissues. This is the major problems that can cause a very bad outcome in some surgeries. In a breast augmentation, there is not a lot of risk as there are not a lot of incisions which decrease blood flow to the tissues. In a breast lift or tummy tuck, on the other hand, there is much longer and more involved incisions. The decrease in blood flow to the tissues in combination with the decrease in blood flow from the nicotine can cause tissue to die. This can cause part of the breast or nipple, or in the case of a tummy tuck, part of the belly tissue to die, resulting in a very bad outcome. This is especially bad in breast reductions or face lifts. In a rhinoplasty the tip of the nose and the columella, the area between the tip and the lip, is at risk. Your skin and tissue can turn black and fall off if this happens. In fat transfer, the constricted blood flow can cause the fat to not get a blood supply and die. Marijuana without tobacco does not cause this problem, or marijuana in an edible fashion. Vaporizers do not decrease the amount of nicotine in tobacco, only decrease the smoke. Hookah also does not decrease nicotine.2. There is carbon monoxide in both tobacco smoke and marijuana smoke. Carbon monoxide decreases the oxygen carrying capacity of hemoglobin in the blood. This is different from the vasoconstrictor effect, but has the same result of having the risk of tissue death in conjunction with surgeries that decrease the blood flow to tissues such as breast lifts and tummy tucks, as opposed to an augmentation alone that does not decrease blood flow to as great of an extent. Again, edible forms of marijuana do not have smoke, and thus carbon monoxide poisoning.3. Coughing. Both tobacco and marijuana smoke disrupt the lining of the lungs and bronchi and can lead to coughing episodes. Coughing episodes can lead to internal bleeding after surgery that can lead to hematomas and complications, and again a bad outcome. Again, edible forms of marijuana does not have this effect.4. Anesthesia effects. Marijuana can have drug interactions with certain anesthetic drugs. Thus it is important to tell your anesthesiologist about your marijuana use.In conclusion, Smoking, whether it be tobacco or marijuana, is detrimental to your surgery outcome. Edible marijuana is much less so, but be honest about your use with your surgeon and anesthesiologist so that you can have the best outcome. In general, you should quite smoking many weeks, ideally 6 weeks before surgery, and not smoke for at least 2 weeks after surgery.Best wishes,Pablo Prichard, MD

Question: Smoking after rhinoplasty?


Answer: There is no specific answer regarding when it is safe to smoke after rhinoplasty.
Most likely, your nose will not suffer any drastic complications because of your
smoking. However, smoking is never safe. Chances are, smoking will ultimately
reduce your quality of life and, statistically, it will most likely shorten your life.
No ethical conscientious doctor would use the word safe and smoking in the
same sentence.
 

I hope you will consider stopping smoking forever!  Cigarettes, in addition to having hundreds of harmful chemicals, contain nicotine, a powerful vasoconstrictor.  Thus the nicotine "chokes" the blood vessels in your entire body...from the tiniest vessels in your brain to the smallest vessels to your skin.  If you want to age faster and die younger, continue smoking!

Having said that, the minimum amount of time to refrain from smoking after surgery is 4 weeks.

There is no "Safe Smoking". It all depends on just how much risk you are willing to assume. Since nicotine intake by any form is associated with a fall in the blood flow through the skin, among other deleterious side effects, it can cause skin death and wound separation or scar widening. This is commonly seen in certain operations such as Face lifts and Tummy Tucks. Many surgeons arbitrarily recommend a nicotine free period 4 weeks before and after surgery to LOWER (not eliminate) such risks.

Dr. Peter A. Aldea

I will never condone smoking at anytime. Nicotine will compromise micro-vascular circulation and delay healing after rhinplasty. I suggest abstaining for several months, but then you might as well stop smoking. Good luck.