Smoking Electronic Cigarette Ok After Breast Aug/lift?

Thank you for your question. Smoking before or after your surgery can increase your risk of developing complications including infection and wound healing problems. I tell my patients that it is ideal to stop a couple months ahead of surgery and then for a couple months after surgery.  This also includes electronic cigarettes.

When one smokes, or uses tobacco in any form, there is vascular constriction. Nicotine is a major vasoconstrictor. Good wound healing is all about getting enough blood supply to the area. The incision in a breast augmentation with lift will be put on tension. Tension is the enemy of good wound healing, and coupled with decreased blood flow in smokers, finds the patient at higher risk of wound problems. Our office does not do facelifts on smokers. Breast reductions/lifts and tummy tucks are on tension and the chance of them falling apart is many fold higher. Please stop using nicotine, (for dozens of reasons).                  

Hello! Thank you for your question! The issue with nicotine, or other inhalants in smoke, is that it also acts as a vasoconstrictor, clamping down of blood vessels. Blood supply is always of great concern during any surgical procedure, but especially in such a procedure as breast surgery where the viability of the nipple-areolar complex is obviously important. Since the vascularity to the area is already tenuous since it will be raised by cutting around the area, maximizing blood flow to the tissue is critical. Typically, we recommend at least 6 weeks of smoking cessation prior to any surgical procedure. Nicotine and others always increase the risk for infection and wound complications, as well as other health consequences, especially with general anesthesia and pulmonary issues. I would discuss this with your surgeon prior to your procedure. Hope that this helps! Best wishes!

It's probably safer if you avoid electronic cigarettes as well as regular cigarettes. While ecigarettes may not have the same number of harmful chemicals, they can still compromise your recovery and increase the risk of complications.

Any form of nicotine be it cigarettes, nicotine gum, lozenges, chewing tobacco, patches or e-cigarettes  all share the same risk as smoking. For breast implant augmentation surgery this means a significantly higher risk of capsular contracture.

Though some electronic cigarettes have a "nicotine-free" flavor only vapor effect, others have "flavor and nicotine" cartridges, and nicotine is the problem. This includes nicotine patches, gum, spray, and even second-hand smoke. Nicotine is a potent vasoconstrictor, and dead skin or dead nipples can be the result. Honest, no exaggeration!

So, even if you are using the "safe" no-nicotine e-cigarettes, why must you simulate smoking at all? You already know nicotine is the problem, and "smoking" these e-cigarettes only makes others around you want to light up. Their REAL cigarettes! With real second-hand nicotine!

Second-hand smoke is just as bad for you as smoking yourself!

Even 1 cigarette, even exposure to second-hand smoke, even 1 Nicorette gum (you get the idea) can cause enough vasoconstriction that you could end up with a dead nipple/areola complex or dead breast skin flaps requiring prolonged dressing changes for an open wound, skin grafts, and additional reconstructive surgery. If your implants become exposed, they have to come out. Forget the cosmetic result--now your surgeon is just trying to get your breasts healed!

I do not perform surgery on smokers, as it shows inadequate commitment on the patient's part in obtaining a safe good result. And of course, you know who is expected to "fix things" when these problems develop, even though circulation problems are almost always preventable by compliance with NO SMOKING requirements!

If your surgeon asked you on the morning of surgery "Is it OK if I don't do my best work today? I can't seem to focus on the important things about your case; it's too hard" would you cheerfully go ahead? That, dear lady, is what you just asked--and you already know the answer! One more example, just in case I am being too obtuse. If your teenage daughter asked you if it was OK to have "pretend sex" with her boyfriend, what would your answer be?

Truly, I'm not trying to be mean or rude, but even though nicotine-free flavor-vapor electronic cigarettes may be "technically" safe, the risks of second-hand smoke, or simply falling off the wagon are too great, and you really don't want dead skin or nipples! Really! You may wish to consider Zyban or Chantix--ask your doctor and good luck!


 

Here are the major points of smoking Tobacco or Marijuana before or after surgery:1. There is nicotine in tobacco, but not in marijuana. However, most joints are rolled with marijuana and tobacco combination. Nicotine is a vasoconstrictor that decreases blood flow to the tissues. This is the major problems that can cause a very bad outcome in some surgeries. In a breast augmentation, there is not a lot of risk as there are not a lot of incisions which decrease blood flow to the tissues. In a breast lift or tummy tuck, on the other hand, there is much longer and more involved incisions. The decrease in blood flow to the tissues in combination with the decrease in blood flow from the nicotine can cause tissue to die. This can cause part of the breast or nipple, or in the case of a tummy tuck, part of the belly tissue to die, resulting in a very bad outcome. Marijuana without tobacco does not cause this problem, or marijuana in an edible fashion.  Vaporizers do not decrease the amount of nicotine in tobacco, only decrease the smoke.2. There is carbon monoxide in both tobacco smoke and marijuana smoke. Carbon monoxide decreases the oxygen carrying capacity of hemoglobin in the blood. This is different from the vasoconstrictor effect, but has the same result of having the risk of tissue death in conjunction with surgeries that decrease the blood flow to tissues such as breast lifts and tummy tucks, as opposed to an augmentation alone that does not decrease blood flow to as great of an extent. Again, edible forms of marijuana do not have smoke, and thus carbon monoxide poisoning.3. Coughing. Both tobacco and marijuana smoke disrupt the lining of the lungs and bronchi and can lead to coughing episodes. Coughing episodes can lead to internal bleeding after surgery that can lead to hematomas and complications, and again a bad outcome. Again, edible forms of marijuana does not have this effect.4. Anesthesia effects. Marijuana can have drug interactions with certain anesthetic drugs. Thus it is important to tell your anesthesiologist about your marijuana use.In conclusion, Smoking, whether it be tobacco or marijuana, is detrimental to your surgery outcome. Edible marijuana is much less so, but be honest about your use with your surgeon and anesthesiologist so that you can have the best outcome. In general, you should quite smoking many weeks, ideally 6 weeks before surgery, and not smoke for at least 2 weeks after surgery.Best wishes,Pablo Prichard, MD

Thank you for your question.

The electronic cigarettes may still have nicotine and nicotine is what we need to stay away from when having surgery to ensure proper wound healing.

Best Wishes!

A smoke-less or electronic cigarettes still produce nicotine, and the nicotine is the problem with healing after surgery. Actually we find smoking has little impact on breast augmentation, but to play it safe, no smoking or no nicotine for at least two weeks is best.

Best of luck, peterejohnsonmd.com

If electronic cigarettes have nicotine in them, then you can not smoke them. The nicotine constricts blood vessels and can impair wound healing.