Hello Rorooo,It is safe to smoke 6 weeks after rhinoplasty, even if you have had an open procedure. Smoking any product with nicotine is best stopped 2-4 weeks prior to your surgery.Good luck,Dr. Shah
In general, I think smoking is a horribly destructive habit for many reasons. But moving past my own philosophy, the smoke can definitely cause irritation of the internal nasal structures leading to persistent swelling and congestion. The exact time at which this effect is of minimal consequence is hard to say. We tell patients they can resume their normal activities after 4-6 weeks. However, this is only a rough guideline. Some could probably have resumed earlier and some may need to wait longer. I tell my patients that if resuming their previous activities causes swelling, etc they should back off for another week and try again. However, in some cases, the swelling doesn't go away immediately after cessation of the activity and a week of oral steroids is necessary to help with the resolution.