How soon can I smoke after surgery?

Thank you for your question! For my patients having any procedure, I require that they are completely nicotine free for 4 weeks prior to and 6 weeks post surgery. Best of luck!

Thanks for the question. You should wait a couple of months because your operation area trying to get healed. Then after yes you can do smoke and drink. I wish you all the best.

You probably already know that quitting would be your best option. However, if you need to start smoking again, the longer the wait before resuming, the better. A month or two would be best, but your surgeon will let you know what they recommend.

Each surgeon has different rules on this, but the best option is to never resume. Aside from increasing your risk of cancer, and compromising wound healing, it makes you look much older faster. If you are having a breast implant procedure, you will also increase your chances of capsular contracture if you smoke. If you are having anything done to the face, the best thing you can do to maintain results and not show visible aging as quickly, is to not smoke and wear sunscreen. If you intend to resume regardless, I would recommend checking with your surgeon in advance of the procedure to make sure you are compliant with her/his specific instructions.

Thank you for your question. After surgery you should continue to stop smoking 4-6 weeks. Smoking while in the healing process could potentially cause complications. The best thing to do is listen to your plastic surgeons post operative instructions for an easy recovery. Best of luck!Dhaval M. Patel Double Board Certified Plastic Surgeon Hoffman Estates Barrington Oakbrook ChicagoOrland Park 

Depending on your surgery, I would suggest waiting a minimum of 8 weeks of recovery prior to smoking again. The rationale is smoking constricts blood vessels, thereby decreasing the amount of oxygen your blood supply can give to the fresh incisions. The longer the incision, the more important it is to not smoke. If you quit 2 months prior, and you continue to abstain 2 months after, you will have proven to yourself you can stop smoking, and so I would encourage you to use this as an opportunity to claim your new results/new look/new you/new year. Best of luck.

A tummy tuck is a major procedure.  No surgeon will allow a tummy tuck unless you have given up smoking for a couple months before surgery.  During recovery it is critical that you refrain from smoking. Smoking deprives your body of oxygen, which increases the risk of wound breakdown and infection following the surgery.  Smoking is dangerous enough but doing it around surgery can be deadly.I'm sure you know the risks of smoking already and that there never is a healthy time to smoke again.  However, if you absolutely much smoke wait at least a month after surgery and only after consulting with your plastic surgeon.  Listen to your body and talk to your plastic surgeon if you have concerns.  

Thank you for your question.  My basic answer would be never but being realistic I would say at least 3 months post surgery before your first cigarette.  You do not want to decrease your ability to heal and smoking decreases your ability to heal

Smoking cigarettes constricts the small blood vessels in the skin. This makes it harder for wounds to heal and increases the risk of wound breakdown and infection. I recommend at least 3 weeks of no smoking post operatively. Quitting altogether would be better :). Good luck and happy new year!!

If you can stop smoking for two months prior to your procedure, you do not need to start again. There is no “good” time to resume smoking. The healing process takes 3 to 4 months so I certainly would not recommend any smoking during that timeframe. Your general health and appearance will be better without smoking.  Best wishes!