2 weeks post op Tummy Tuck, I smoked and did cocaine. Will I have some complications?

Do not proceed with your surgery as you are at marked increased risks of complications from both recent use of cocaine and ongoing nicotine use. You need to have medical clearance at a minimum from the anesthesiologist who needs to know of this history, and need to be off both cocaine and nicotine for months prior to elective surgery. I also strongly recommend that you are candid with your surgeon and never hold back medical details that could affect your health. There is a sacred patient physician relationship restricting him from sharing any of your medical information

Use of street drugs such as cocaine , crack, and crystal meth can cause disastrous wound healing problems especially tummy tucks, facelifts, and breast reductions. Smoking too! If a one time incidence you might get away with no complications. Do not do this to yourself and your plastic surgeon! 

Thanks for your inquiry.  Please make sure your plastic surgeon is involved with your care and has examined you.  It is imperative you stop using nicotine and cocaine to prevent further problems.  

Cigarettes and cocaine both cause decrease blood supply to the tissues.  In an person having a tummy tuck, it is important to maximize the blood supply to all of the tissues in order to insure proper healing.  The use of smoking and cocaine before and after a tummy Tuck is quite dangerous and can result in significant healing problems with wounds that may require months to heal.  If a person is a smoker, they can still undergo the surgery but the results are less than optimal.  It is very important that the surgeon know if a patient is using these products.

It is a VERY bad idea to smoke and use cocaine after your tummy tuck.   All healing requires bloody supply to facilitate a good result.  Smoking is a vasoconstrictor that diminishes bloody supply.  Cocaine is a potent vasoconstrictor that not only diminishes blood supply but increases your blood pressure.  In addition, to jeopardizing your healing, you can increase your risk for postop bleeding.   Please followup with your PS and share with him this information so he/she can evaluate and manage you correctly.

During tummy tuck surgery, the skin is lifted so it can be pulled down and the excess discarded. The process of lifting the skin off the muscles involves cutting through numerous blood vessels, both those coming up from the muscle as well as blood vessels that are cut with the long incisionNormally the skin survives with the remaining blood supply from the chest and the sides. However, both nicotine and cocaine cause blood vessels to squeeze way down so that instead of being like a large drinking straw that's served with boba tea, they shrink down tight like those little red cocktail straws.The healing tissue needs oxygen to survive, and the new scars need oxygen to heal.  Blood vessels that are squeezed like tiny straws allow many fewer red blood cells to reach the wound. Red blood cells carry oxygen. So nicotine and cocaine starve the tissues of oxygen.What are the three main risks?1. Tissue loss2. Separation of the incisions3. InfectionBecause you didn't expose your body to nicotine or cocaine until two weeks after surgery, I am hoping your wounds may have healed enough to survive without complications. You need to see your plastic surgeon and describe what happened so he/she can look for any problems. Bring in your garment or binder so he/she can make sure it doesn't create any pressure points and that it's not too tight, since too much pressure can cause skin breakdown.Good luck! 

A great result after tummy tuck surgery requires not only having had an excellent surgeon who did an excellent job, but also requires your full participation in the postop period. You are not fully healed until 2 months postop, and anything such as smoking or using cocaine can negatively impact your result. Make sure your surgeon knows about it and follow his/her advice very closely. Best of luck.

Most tummy tuck procedures result in a reduction of the blood flow to the abdominal soft tissue.  Therefore, a smaller number of blood vessels are relied upon to bring blood to and take blood away from the remaining soft tissue.  Both nicotine and cocaine can reduce the amount of blood flow via vessel constriction.  At two weeks out you may have had enough tissue resiliency to avoid a complication secondary to the drug use.  At this time, I would communicate with your plastic surgeon so he/she can change their evaluation parameters.  Doing so will take into account the possibility of blood supply issues and delayed healing.All the best,Dr. Remus Repta

While it is unlikely that your smoking and use of cocaine will adversely impact the results of the tummy tuck, it is worth contacting your surgeon and ensuring that you are progressing well.