Will quitting smoking 1 month before tummy tuck be ok?

Smoking and surgery are a bad combination. Smoking will not only increase your risk from anesthesia, but your wound healing can be affected as well.  Studies of shown that even a two-week cessation of smoking prior to surgery can demonstrate some clinical improvement  compared to patients who are active smokers. Obviously the longer the timeframe from smoking cessation to surgery, the better it will be.  There are some procedures such as tummy tucks or a breast reductions, that are even more susceptible to the negative effects of smoking.  I typically make my patients stop smoking for six weeks prior to their surgery.  Please understand also that a little bit of smoking is sort of like being a little bit pregnant.  You have to completely stop to be considered a non-smoker during that period.  Every physician has different protocols regarding smoking cessation, and you should ask your surgeon what their criteria are.  

Ultimately, the plastic surgeon will have his/her thoughts on whether or not it is safe to proceed.   Generally speaking, patients considering coming to service should avoid nicotine nicotine in all its "modalities' of delivery  for the period of time specified by their plastic surgeon. It is a powerful constrictor of blood vessels, decreasing blood flow to the “flaps” used during these procedures. This decreased blood flow could potentially lead to wound healing problems and/or tissue necrosis. Best wishes.