Is it Okay if I Smoked 1 Week After Gynecomastia Surgery?

Hello and thanks for your question. Congratulations on having your surgery! A single cigarette will not determine the outcome of your surgery, However, continued smoking may lead to delayed healing, infections, poor scars, and other complications. Discuss this with your plastic surgeon so that recommendations can be made if nicotine addiction is an issue. Good luck!

Thanks for the question. You should wait 3-4 weeks because your operation area trying to get healed. Then after yes you can do smoke and drink. I wish you all the best.

The male breast is composed of glandular tissue and fatty tissue. An excess in either type of tissue can cause the chest to take on the look of gynecomastia. Gynecomastia can affect #men of all different body types. There are different types of #gynecomastia.Several common factors can cause gynecomastia including excessive levels of #estrogen, natural #hormone changes, use of recreational drugs or alcohol, medications and their associated side effects, and, various health conditions. Also, there are different types of #gynecomastia. Therefore, weight gain, steroid use,recreational drug use and have hormonal conditions can contribute to a return of gynecomastia regardless of previous surgical removal and treatments. It's important to implement healthy lifestyle choices to not only prolong your surgical results, but most importantly, to reduce your risk of illness and disease which will impact your health.

Cigarette smoking should be avoided after any surgery.  One cigarette, though, will likely not cause any issues.  All the same, avoid smoking.  Good luck and be safe.John T. Nguyen, MD, FACS, FICSDouble Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

Hello! Thank you for your question! The issue with nicotine 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 a gynecomastia procedure 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 and at
least 6 weeks after any surgical procedure. The longer, the better.
Nicotine always increases the risk for infection, nipple necrosis, poor
scarring, and
wound complications, as well as other health consequences including blood clots. The
anesthesia risk is greater with general anesthesia as well as pulmonary
issues/lung infections postoperatively. I would
discuss this with your surgeon prior to your procedure. Hope that this
helps! Best wishes!

Hi!

Thank you for your question.

While I do strongly advise my patients to avoid alcohol and smoking
for at least two weeks following a procedure, I would not worry too
much over the one cigarette. As long as you will not smoke again
during the healing process. I applaud you for recognizing it and I
wish you a speedy recovery!

Good luck,

Dr. Sam Speron

Smoking affects healing by decreasing blood supply, and thus
oxygen to the healing tissues.  One
cigarette will temporarily decrease the circulation to the surgical wound, but
should not affect the final result.  Just
as important as not smoking after surgery is also not smoking at least 2 weeks
before surgeryIf you were to continue to smoke just 1 cigarette per day, the
effect of the nicotine lasts up to 24 hours, and is essentially the same as
smoking 10 cigarettes.So, you will be fine if you don't continue to smoke.I hope this answer helps relieve you concerns.    Good luck!

Hi King90,Thanks for the post. It is advised not to smoke for 3 to 4 weeks before and after surgery. There are two reasons for this:1. Nicotine decreases the blood flow to the surgical areas which can affect healing.2. The toxins in cigarettes can irritate the airways which can lead to increased coughing after surgery and increase the chance of bleeding.That being said, smoking one cigarette will not in all likelihood have an effect on your results. Sincerely,Dr. Dadvand

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. This is especially bad in breast reductions or face lifts. In a rhinoplasty the tip of the nose and the columella, the area between the tip and the lip, is at risk. Your skin and tissue can turn black and fall off if this happens. 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. Hookah also does not decrease nicotine.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

Generally one cigarette will not affect your recovery.  Societal pressure can overcome good sense in many situations. However, let your surgeon know and he can advise you accordingly.