Light smoking before mastectomy/reconstruction?

Any nicotine use will predispose you to some skin necrosis. However, if you are not having a formal reconstruction with implants, the skin necrosis can often be managed conservatively without any other surgery. Without a formal reconstruction, your risk of serious problems such as infection are very small.

Hello!
This is a great question. The reason why we stress the importance of quitting all forms of smoking prior to and after any procedure is for wound healing purposes. In my practice, I have observed that there is a higher rate of healing poorly after a procedure, and there can be higher rates of complications.
Best,Dr. Tanovic

Smoking prior to mastectomy causes a significant issue with would healing. We recommend patients stop smoking 6 weeks prior to surgery. If there are wound healing issues then the implant or tissue expander can be exposed causing an infection and potentially losing the reconstruction.

Smoking is a risk factor for surgical complications. However, the risk varies based on the procedure. The more invasive the procedure, the greater significance the smoking has. Smoking can increase risk for devastating complications in major breast reconstruction procedures, such as flap or implant procedures. In minor procedures, like local flap closure, the risk is still there, but to a lesser degree. Nonetheless, its always good to cut down if you cant quit completely.