Is no smoking 2 weeks before and after enough for a heavy smoker?

Thank you for your question. It is true that quitting smoking before and after a surgical procedure can lower the risk of complications. Some doctors would recommend quitting 2 weeks before, while some would recommend 4 weeks or even two months before the procedure. Rhinoplasty is a complex procedure, and protocols will vary depending on the patient’s medical history, current health status, and specific type of surgery performed. I recommend an in-person consultation with a board-certified facial plastic surgeon to get a more accurate assessment.

Dear katiecat083,
every plastic surgeon has his own preoperative protocol which he recommends to his patients. Smoking can have serious negative effects on surgery outcomes. I would suggest you to discuss this with your plastic surgeon.
Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

You have a lot of good questions, but the best is how to stop smoking. Been there many moons ago. You know it’s best for you, but the dirty secret is that nicotine is the most addictive drug on the street. That said, my take on smoking is that the burnt tobacco-paper product is the worst for someone’s health. Anecdotal observations lead me to believe that people who substitute vaping or nicotine gum or the patch are healthier than if they lit up. If you’re sick of having a ball and chain for 16 years, then lose it. Good luck and I hope this helps. Dr Joseph

Having a mother who smoked 20-40 cigarettes a day, I am very much an anti-smoker.
It is generally said, and I recommend, that patients should cease smoking for 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after surgery - and if you can stop smoking for that month, do yourself a favor and don't go back to them !
But if you are otherwise healthy, apart from coughing more after surgery, and a miniscule risk of pneumonia, it probably makes no difference to the final result - the nose will heal just as well.

Smoking and Rhinoplasty:There are two potential problems with smoking, particularly heavy smoking and surgery. The first problem is that smokers after anesthesia will tend to cough a lot more than non-smokers. This coughing while awakening from anesthesia can cause laryngospasm which can be a dangerous problem coming out of anesthesia. Excessive coughing in the early postoperative period with the associated straining can cause more bleeding. Nicotine is a vasoconstrictor which reduces the blood supply to tissue. for some operations such as a facelift or a tummy tuck, this may not only impair the healing but they cut off circulation to the skin enough to cause necrosis of some skin. The circulation to the skin of the nose however is much richer than that to other parts of the face and the abdomen so that problem is much less likely . But the culprit is nicotine, so if you ingest it or smoke it the effect could be the same. Each surgeon they have his own time scale but the longer you are off smoking and nicotine the less chance there will be to have any of the problems mentioned above.