Can't Stop Smoking Before my Rhinoplasty, is 2-3 Weeks Pre-Op Enough TIme?

Do you really want to find out the hard way just how "late" you can stop a potentially disastrous cause of dead skin? Of course there is an exact answer as to how long before surgery you must absolutely quit smoking in order to avoid vasoconstriction that could lead to dead skin and exposed cartilage, and unsatisfactory reconstructive options after a disaster in healing. It's just that no one wants to "cut it so close" that one day more makes the difference between a good result and a huge problem. 2 weeks, 3 weeks, 4 weeks--what is the line between disaster and barely OK? Hint: it's probably different for each patient and each surgical procedure, so each surgeon may have our own estimate of an appropriate margin of "safety."

If you drive a sports car 100mph at a concrete wall and are told if you stand on the brakes at 150 feet from the wall you will stop in time and survive, would you ask if it OK to start braking at 110 feet? Someone might be concerned that you might not be able to exert full force on the brakes and advise 170 feet. Is that incorrect, or "less" correct than 150 feet? Why not try the brakes at 50 feet? At some point you will hit the wall and die; at another you will just miss hitting the concrete barrier. Whose advice will you feel safest with?

Your doctor has asked you to abstain from smoking 4 weeks before surgery. If you disregard this advice, will you also take off your nose splint prematurely (to"see how it looks")? Or blow your nose before being advised it is OK? Or exercise when told not to?

Kind patient, I would not want you for my patient since you want to write your own rules, but yet will undoubtedly ask your surgeon to be responsible for and "fix" any disaster that is really your fault. Do you really think depressed and bored is better with dead nose skin?

You already know the answer here--FOLLOW YOUR SURGEON'S ADVICE. You can ask your own doctor for medication to help you with this. It IS important. Good luck!

Smoking in the immediate period before Rhinoplasty brings one word to mind: Disaster.  If you are willing to make the financial and time commitment to have an elective cosmetic surgical procedure, you should make the effort to stop smoking.  Smoking is incredibly detrimental to wound healing and may leave you with less than predictable results.

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!

Surgery increases the risks of complications and I would not operate on you if you did not stop smoking at least 3-4 weeks prior to surgery. You should speak to your surgeon about his criteria.

It’s very imperative you follow your surgeon’s advice. It is critical for proper healing and your over all health. You need to speak with your surgeon about this as soon as you can. He/She may have advice to help you through this difficult time.

Smoking can cause numerous problems with healing, infection and skin loss.  If your doctor suggests (as they should) that you stop smoking, you should listen to their recommendations. The results could be disastrous if you do not follow directions. There are a number of tools available to help you stop smoking, but you should make every effort to stop and be honest with your surgeon for the best results.

Best of luck,

Vincent Marin, MD
San Diego Plastic Surgeon

Stopping smoking 2-3 weeks before a rhinoplasty is NOT enough time. Delay your surgery until you have stopped for a month at the very least. I, in fact, require 2 months. It takes that amount of time for the nicotine to be excreted and for your tissues to recover to a reasonable vascularity to make the procedure safe. You are doing this to improve your looks. If you have a complication and a part of your nose dies, the resulting problem will be hard if not impossible to repair and you will live with the disaster the rest of your life.

 

You dramatically increase your risk of wound healing problems if you smoke and have surgery.  For an elective cosmetic procedure you should stop smoking COMPLETELY at LEAST a month before surgery.  Considering the time and money you are investing in a cosmetic procedure you should take great pains to limit your exposure to risk. 

Do you want your surgeon to wash his/her hands before operating on you? Would you prefer to have your surgeon drunk or sober during the surgery?  Should the surgery center staff sterilize the instruments before using them on you?

C'mon: grow up.  This is not rocket science.  Give up the damn cigarettes or don't have the procedure.

You need to follow your Rhinoplasty Surgeons advice.  I ask my Rhinoplasty patients to cut down after the surgery as the smoke seems to irritate the nose and prolong swelling and healing IMHO.  

Once you have picked a surgeon you want to work with you need to follow his advice. If you are having an "open" rhinoplasty the results of poor blood flow to the skin at the tip of the nose could leave you with disastrous results and you would have no one to blame but yourself. Follow your doctors instructions.