The Dangers of Smoking for Plastic Surgery Patients

To be considered a good candidate for plastic surgery, patients should be non-smokers, or at the very least, be willing to quit smoking for at least three weeks to four weeks before and after surgery. In this blog post, Dr. Marcus Crawford reviews the dangers of smoking and the effect it can have on plastic surgery patients.

Nicotine Reduces Blood Flow

The blood vessels carry blood and oxygen to the tissues and organs. The nicotine in cigarettes constricts the blood vessels and inhibits their ability to deliver oxygenated blood to the skin and other tissues; in surgical patients, this can result in tissue injury or death during the healing phase.

Carbon Monoxide Reduces the Flow of Oxygen

Meanwhile, the carbon monoxide that is introduced to the system reduces the transport of oxygen to the healing tissues, further inhibiting the body's ability to heal.

Slow Healing

The lack of blood flow, nutrients, and oxygen to the tissues slows the healing process. In the case of patients that undergo any type of flap surgery (such as tummy tuck, breast reduction, breast reconstruction, facelift), restricted blood and oxygen flow can have serious, adverse consequences. As a result, many plastic surgeons will not perform these surgeries on smokers.

Increased Risk of Infection

Poor blood and oxygen flow delays the healing of wounds, which in turn increases the possibility of infection. The longer an incision remains open, the higher the likelihood of wound contamination and infection.

More Noticeable Scars

Because of the slow wound healing and higher risk of infection in smokers, plastic surgery scars tend to be far more noticeable in these patients. In serious cases, patients may experience tissue injury or death, which can result in larger scars. After plastic surgery, patients should avoid any activities (such as moderate to heavy exercise or smoking cigarettes) that can delay healing or re-open a wound. The incision site should be kept cleaned and bandaged to avoid infection. Since the use of tobacco products has such a detrimental effect on wound healing, patients that smoke during or after surgery should expect more noticeable scarring.

Longer Recovery Period

For smokers, the delayed healing period inevitably extends the amount of time it takes for patients to recover and see their final aesthetic outcome. Patients that follow our pre-operative instructions and recovery tips will find that their incision closes within a week to ten days, at which point they can start their scar reduction routine. In patients that smoke, it may take two weeks or more for the scar to heal.

Tips to Quit Smoking

There is no doubt that it is difficult for regular smokers to quit their habit to undergo plastic surgery. Here are some tips that may help certain patients cope:

• Meditation
• Hypnotism
• Yoga
• Chewing gum
• Adopt a new, positive habit
• Distract yourself with a book or movie
• Remove all tobacco products from your car, home, and office
• Avoid the friends and places where you are most likely to smoke

To find out if you are a good candidate for plastic surgery, contact Crawford Plastic Surgery today.