Electronic Cigarette Okay Before Surgery?

Thank you for your question.  Any nicotine-containing product - whether cigarettes, e-cigarettes, patches, gums, etc. - produces the same effect on the tissues.  This involves constriction of the microscopic vessels which supply blood to all of the tissues of the body, and as a result, a significant retardation of the healing process.  It is imperative that you stop all nicotine-containing products for at least 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after surgery (ideally longer) in order to minimize the chance of wound healing complications.

Hi and thank you for your question.It is best to stop smoking the E cigarette or regular cigarettes three weeks before and three weeks after surgery.  The nicotine can cause issues with healing and may cause complications. Check with your surgeon for his/her recommendations and instructions. Best of lukc!

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 will also be put on some 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 and tummy tucks are also on tension and the chance of them falling apart is many fold higher. Please stop using nicotine, (for dozens of reasons). If the prospect of your procedure is a motivation to quit, then so be it.                 

E-cigarettes also have nicotine that is not good for wound healing. You should discuss this with your surgeon before surgery. Best wishes.

Any nicotine containing product will have an adverse effect on wound healing. This is a larger issue for procedures where there is a lot of tissue undermining and rearrangement. Please discuss this with your surgeon before surgery.