Female, 56, 5’5, 157lbs & I am a smoker - why can I not have implants?

You'll want the best results for your breast augmentation. Smoking cessation around the time of surgery will give you the best outcome.

In general, smoking patients experience a much higher rate of complications after any procedure. Most surgeons say absolutely not when surgeries requiring skin excision are contemplated (facelifts, breasts lifts, tummy tucks). With regards to implants, you are at higher risk for capsular contracture, which will likely send you back to the operating room. It's really simple: find a surgeon who doesn't care or stop smoking for 4-6 weeks prior to surgery.

Thank you for your question. I agree that there are some surgeries in which smoking does impact the outcome significantly. These include anytime you are undermining the skin or creating skin flaps which would include facelifting, rhinoplasty, tummy tucks, or performing breast lift surgery. Leave that a standard breast augmentation does not fit that criteria and would be fine if you cut down on your smoking considerably in the perioperative period. Best wishes to you.