How will my doctor know if I smoked cigarettes before surgery?

Thank you for your question.  It is the official stance of the American Board of Plastic Surgery that elective cosmetic operations should not be performed on active smokers.  Nicotine causes constriction of the small blood vessels that supply all of the tissues, significantly impeding wound healing and ability to combat localized infection.  I recommend my patients who are smokers to refrain from any nicotine-containing products for 4 weeks before and 4 weeks after surgery.  Your surgeon may or may not order a blood test that will measure nicotine byproducts in your blood or urine, and may delay surgery if the test is positive.

When one smokes, or uses tobacco, there is vascular constriction. Nicotine is a major vasoconstrictor. There are others in tobacco as well. Good wound healing is all about getting enough blood supply to the area. The incision will also be put on some 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. Please stop smoking, (for dozens of reasons). If the prospect of your procedure is a motivation to quit, then so be it. Some doctors will test via urine or blood before the O.R.