Do doctors required a nicotine test before completing a labiaplasty?

Thank you for your question Smoking causes poor healing so you don’t want to have cosmetic surgery if you are smoking. Any good surgeon would not want to risk poorer results for their patients.

Thank you for your inquiry. While it is important for wound healing to not have nicotine in your system, not all doctors test for the presence of nicotine. Schedule a consult for a Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon.

Thank you for the question. Surgeons have different protocols regarding nicotine testing. That being said, you should not smoke for at least 4 week prior to the procedure to prevent healing issues. I wish you the best of luck. Vasileios Vasilakis, MD. Double board-certified, fellowship-trained plastic surgeon, Houston. TX.

Each surgeon is different when it comes to their tolerance and policies for nicotine and tobacco products before surgery. Because the blood supply is very rich in this area, the likelihood of having healing issues from nicotine is really low when considering Labiaplasty. That said, we recommend two weeks prior to Labiaplasty that our patients stop smoking and continue to have smoking cessation for two weeks afterwards. This helps to ensure adequate healing. In general, quitting smoking is the best thing you can do for your health and recovery.

Hi, Thank you for the question.
A smoking history is also a known risk factor for increased complications with surgery, because nicotine and other toxins in tobacco products can cause damage and constriction of blood vessels. This can in turn decrease the blood supply to healing tissue and increase the risk of wound breakdown, skin loss, healing complications.
Regarding elective surgery and smoking, a cessation period of at least four to six weeks before surgery and after surgery has been recommended. Some physicians will do a nicotine test prior to surgery to ensure that the patient has been compliant and it is safe to proceed with surgery.
I suggest that you seek an in person consultation with a Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon specializing in Labiaplasty surgeries to further discuss your options, specific techniques, concerns and expectations.
I hope this helps.Best regards, Dr. Karanetz
Dr. Irena KaranetzFellowship-TrainedBoard Certified Plastic Surgeon

Generally speaking, I don’t think nicotine tests are considered a routine part of pre-op testing. As you probably already know, nicotine can delay the healing process. Therefore, testing really depends on the surgeon and whether they feel that it would be needed to verify a patient’s claims.

A nicotine test is not a routine test that is done before a labiaplasty. Smoking does however effect your healing process. Discuss your concerns with your surgeon.

Thank you for sharing your question. In most cases this is not a test commonly performed for a labiaplasty procedure.

I'm not aware of any surgeon performing a nicotine test prior to any surgery. If you are a smoker it is advised that you stop smoking prior to surgery and during your recovery to ensure better healing. As surgeons, we can only educate you on proper steps to prepare for your surgery, but this is ultimately up to you.
Best of luck with your surgery.

Thanks for your question! Every surgeon is different. I would not require that of my patients but some doctors may feel differently. Please refer to your operating surgeon for his/her answer. Good luck!