Facelift and Smoking: Why They Don’t Mix

August 16, 2014

The negative effects of smoking are widespread, and they even affect patients who are interested in plastic surgery. For patients that wish to undergo the facelift procedure, it is important to stop smoking at least fourteen days prior to the surgery. But why is it so important to stop smoking before facelift surgery? Not only does smoking depress the circulatory system, it also has a serious effect on the health of the skin and can make it more difficult for the body to repair itself after surgery. In short, smoking is not recommended before plastic surgery, and any instruction from a doctor to cease smoking before plastic surgery should be followed. Here are just a few other reasons why patients should stop smoking before a surgery.

Smoking Negatively Affects the Circulatory System

Smoking can severely reduce circulation in the body. The nicotine constricts blood vessels and makes them more prone to damage. This means that if a surgery is undertaken while a person still has tobacco in his or her system, it can be extremely difficult for the body to heal properly, because the skin and other tissues will not have the proper supply of oxygen that it needs. With a compromised circulatory system, there is a much higher chance that the patient will experience complications, such as extreme bruising, infections, and worsened scarring.

Smoking Can Damage Skin Elasticity

Smoking can seriously affect the health of a person’s skin. The constant smoke, which contains harmful chemicals and nicotine, is not only drying, but it hinders the skin’s ability to heal itself. This can cause it to take longer for the incision site to heal. It can also make it much more difficult for the patient to achieve a natural, lasting facelift. If a person is a smoker, there is less of a chance that the skin will be elastic enough to achieve good results from a facelift procedure.

While cessation of smoking two weeks (or longer) before and after a facelift is a good place to start, most plastic surgeons would recommend that patients lay off smoking all together. A facelift is an expensive investment and smoking can seriously damage that investment, whether the smoke occurs before or after the surgery.

Smoking and Anesthesia Presents Potential Dangers

Because the nicotine in cigars, cigarettes, and e-cigarettes, affects the respiratory and circulatory systems, it can be extremely dangerous for a person who is still smoking to go under anesthesia. Even people with uncompromised systems can have complications with breathing and blood pressure when they undergo surgery, and this is far more likely if a person has been smoking. Patients should give their bodies at least three weeks to process the nicotine and remove it from their systems.

For more information about facelifts and candidacy for facelifts, contact Crawford Plastic Surgery today. The medical staff on-hand at Crawford Plastic Surgery is available during regular business hours to take questions and make appointments as needed. We look forward to hearing from you!

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