FUE and Quitting Nicotine Before Surgery?

We recommend that our patients stop smoking, vaping, marijuana, psilocybin, and LSD use at least one week prior to their procedure as smoking can impair platelet funciton and can increase risk of bleeding. Many of these substances impair platelet function and can increase risk of bleeding. Nicotine usage in any form can impair healing. Smoking causes constriction of blood vessels and decreased blood flow to the scalp, predominantly due to its nicotine content. The carbon monoxide in smoke decreases the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood. These factors may contribute to poor wound healing after a hair transplant and can increase the chance of a wound infection and scarring. Smoking may also contribute to poor hair growth. The deleterious effects of smoking wear off slowly when one abstains, particularly in chronic smokers, so that smoking puts one at risk to poor healing even after smoking is stopped for weeks or even months. You should avoid smoking before and after a hair transplant - one week prior to surgery and until two weeks after the procedure.

Each practice has their own suggestions for pre operative preparation and they are not always consistent between practices. I personally do NOT ask my patients to stop cigarettes, dip or other nicotine products prior to surgery. If your surgeon asks this of you, your best bet is to call and speak to the doctor, his nurse or PA and let them know, truthfully, that you were late stopping your use. It is highly likely that this will be fine but it is always in your best interest to be honest with your team in order to get the best care and the best results. I hope this answers your question.