You need to stop smoking before surgery. More then thinking of it as a penalty in order to have surgery, you should consider it the first step to a healthier life. I won't perform surgery on a patient that hasn't quit smoking at least 2-4 weeks before surgery (no e-cigs or vaping either!) It makes for a much safer surgery, and better recovery.
Great Question,It is important that you quit smoking for at least 1 month prior your surgery even if you are self paying for the operation. Smoking increases the risk of the surgery, one of the complications would be not healing fast enough and your stitches won't be able to attach easily after the surgery. We do not recommend patients to start smoking for about 8 weeks after the surgery. I hope this answers your question. Kind Regards,