Will Smoking Marijuana Affect Tummy Tuck Surgery?

It’s
important that patients stop smoking both cigarettes and marijuana for at least
two weeks prior to abdominoplasty.They
should also avoid smoking for at least two weeks following surgery as well.Since marijuana doesn’t contain
nicotine, it doesn’t cause the significant vasoconstriction that cigarette
smoking causes.Despite this, smoking
marijuana can have a negative impact on breathing and airway function.For these reasons, it’s important to discuss
this issue with your plastic surgeon before undergoing abdominoplasty surgery.

Thank you for your question regarding whether smoking marijuana a week before surgery will affect your tummy tuck. Yes, smoking marijuana, even if it's just occasionally, can have an impact on your surgery and anesthesia. Marijuana use, whether through smoking or other methods, affects your heart rate, blood pressure, and lung function, which can create complications during surgery, particularly when you are under general anesthesia.

Smoking marijuana can increase your heart rate and cause fluctuations in blood pressure, which can make it more difficult for your anesthesiologist to maintain a stable environment during the procedure. Additionally, if you smoked it, the smoke can irritate the lungs and lead to issues with oxygenation while you're under anesthesia.

It’s important that your surgeon and anesthesiologist know about any marijuana use, even if it was only once, so they can adjust the anesthesia and monitor you more closely during surgery. Anesthesia is a delicate balance, and certain substances, like marijuana, can affect how your body responds.

I recommend discussing your marijuana use with your surgeon and anesthesiologist before the procedure. Being open about all substances you've taken (including marijuana) helps ensure your safety during the surgery.

Sincerely,
Dr. Katzen

Smoking tobacco or marijuana can adversely affect wound healing in any type of plastic surgery, especially a tummy tuck. Smoking causes decreased blood flow to the skin and soft tissues and can lead to a higher incidence of infection, poor scarring and wound healing problems (wound could partially open-dehiscence). It is generally recommended to stop all tobacco products and smoking for at least two to eight weeks before and after elective plastic surgery procedures.
Please discuss this issue in detail with your plastic surgeon prior to scheduling any elective cosmetic procedure.
Best wishes,
Dr. Bruno

Any consumption of combustible products can produce carbonaceous byproducts that interfere with the lungs ability to oxygenate the blood. The effecs of smoking tobacco have been well documented and aggravated by the combination of carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrogen cyanide and ammonia that are all present. Marijuana use may not be as severe as tobacco use but it does interfere with healing nonetheless. I am not aware of the state regulations in Nevada but perhaps you could obtain a prescription pill form of THC, the reported active incredient in marijuana.

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.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.Best wishes,Pablo Prichard, MD