Should I have stopped smoking before my tummy tuck?

I require that my patients stop smoking 2 to 4 weeks before and after surgery as smoking can greatly interfere with the healing process. You need to make sure your surgeon is aware of your smoking and you should stop right now. Good luck.

Hello and thank you for your question. It is very important that you stop smoking now. Smoking causes decreased blood flow to the abdominal skin flap and this could affect your healing. Typically, I have my patients stop 6 weeks prior to surgery. 

You should stop smoking now. You should also inform your surgeon that you had not stopped. I am guessing that your surgeon had recommended that you stop prior to surgery. There is a lot of medical evidence that abdominal and other incisions do not heal as well in smokers. That being said, your surgeon needs to know what is going on so that they can take care of any issues that may come up with your incision. Good luck.

In an ideal world you should have definitely stopped smoking at least 4 weeks prior to surgery, most surgeons would advise 6 weeks.  If you had stopped you should not smoke for at least 4-6 weeks post operatively either.  It is proven that smoking interferes with wound healing in particular.Even though you have been smoking I would still recommend you quit until you have recovered.  There is still benefit in stopping now and will give you the best chance to heal without complications.All the best with your recovery.Kind regards,Dean

I have my patients stop smoking 4 to 6 weeks prior to the operation. If they cannot do this, I will either not offer them for surgery, or perhaps I would alter the surgery and not perform liposuction of the abdominal wall. For you, it would still be beneficial to avoid smoking in the early healing, say about six weeks. You should talk to your plastic surgeon about this.