I am smoking 3-4 cigarettes a day and plan to have a neck lift in 5 days. How dangerous is this?

In my experience it's a BAD idea for smokers to have open lifting surgery of the face and neck.  I have never knowingly done a facelift or neck lift on a smoker, and I would not consider doing this operation on an active smoker.  This is not a controversial topic.  NO surgeon worth their salt should operate on a smoker for this procedure in my opinion.  If you like your face, then you should not smoke for 3 months before or after such surgery ideally.  Two months might be a reasonable compromise if your surgeon accepts it.

hello therese hayes To go over some simple, general rules: smokers will need to stop smoking well before their surgery, you may be asked to stop certain medications that may contribute to bleeding. #per-op #smoking

Quitting smoking in general is difficult but quitting before surgery, and continuing to refrain post-surgery, can make dramatic differences to your recovery and is one of the most beneficial changes any patient can make. Giving up the habit is a smart decision no matter what the circumstances are as there are so many positive impacts to your health. It can also significantly decrease the risk of complications for patients during and after surgery. Smokers are forever being inundated with information about the health risks of smoking, however, the benefits to your health by quitting prior to surgery are immediate and substantial.In certain cosmetic procedures smoker’s risks are higher and they have lower success rates than non-smokers. Surgeons sometimes refuse to perform procedures—such as relocating blood vessels—as this could put smokers at risk. Tummy tucks, facelifts, breast reduction, use of tissue flaps (in breast reconstruction, for example) fall into this category. A smoker’s cough can disrupt the abdominal healing of a tummy tuck, breast reconstruction complication rates are significantly increased by smoking and after breast reduction, healing of surgical wounds can be impaired. Smokers undergoing facelift procedures face a 13-fold risk of skin necrosis compared to non-smokers. They also face a higher risk of a hematoma (bleeding) after surgery.