Smoking a Little Bit a Week Before Closed Rhinoplasty?

Hello,One slip up should not interfere with your rhinoplasty results if you are totally healthy otherwise. Do not smoke at all until 4 weeks after your rhinoplasty to make sure it heals well. All the best, Deepak Dugar, MDScarless Rhinoplasty ExpertBeverly Hills, CA 90210

I would highly recommend against smoking before your
nose job, especially in the final week leading up to surgery. If possible, try
to refrain from smoking for about a month pre-nose job. If you do still decide
to smoke, try to limit yourself as much as possible. Smoking “a little bit” won’t necessarily alter
the effects of your rhinoplasty, but smoking can become habitual. 

Any smoking can effect surgery in the 4 weeks prior to the procedure. Will it effect your particular procedure specifically. It will likely compromise some blood supply and it may interfere with  your recovery from anesthetics but ut us impossible to know if it will cause you to have a complication. That is similar to predicting if someone will get into an accident after they have two alcoholic drinks and then get into a car. You know their driving will be impaired but they may not necessarily get into an crash. 

Thank you for the question. You should absolutely consult with your physician about your smoking habits in order to obtain the most reliable and individualized medical advice. Most specialists recommend abstaining from smoking for 2-3 weeks before a rhinoplasty, while others may insist on a full month or two. Smoking will cause irritation and restrict the blood flow to your healing areas, possibly causing complications during the recovery period.  It is always best to visit a board-certified plastic surgeon and have a full evaluation for your concern. Best of 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. 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. In fat transfer, the constricted blood flow can cause the fat to not get a blood supply and die. 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

Smoking is strictly prohibited in cases where flaps are raised such as facelifts and MOHS reconstruction with flaps.  Open Rhinoplasty also places the columella skin at greater risk in smokers.  But the nose is very vascular and usually its not an issue.  Just talk to your doctor and make sure he knows all the facts.

I will never condone smoking, but this one "slip" 2 weeks before rhinoplasty surgery should not cause problems, especially in a young healthy individual. Knowing that most smokers use tobacco more than they admit , don't have more "slips" which could delay healing after surgery.