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By March 20, 2024March 29th, 2024Uncategorized

You Mustn’t Smoke Before or After Surgery: Here’s Why

Unless you’ve been living under an ashtray, you’ll likely know that smoking (or vaping) is that for you. We don’t need to tell you all the obvious things — that it causes cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung diseases, bronchitis, diabetes or that it causes endless problems with your dental health. But we do need to tell you that smoking could damage your cosmetic surgery result, impairing healing, increasing the risk of infection, blood clots and scarring and lowering your immune system.

If you are considering cosmetic surgery, you must give up smoking for at least several weeks before the procedure and not smoke for several weeks afterwards.

When you undergo any surgical procedure, your tissues are traumatised — they are cut, pulled, stretched and bruised. And they will only heal if they receive an adequate supply of oxygen-carrying blood, as your wounded tissue death needs oxygen to heal. When you smoke, you inhale nicotine, which is a potent vasoconstrictor. Your blood vessels narrow, which causes blood flow to slow or even stop. This can cause tissues to die (tissue necrosis).

Continue to smoke before and after your surgical procedure, and you risk tissue death, slow healing, infection, visible scarring and unsatisfactory results.

“Smoking just one cigarette decreases the body’s ability to deliver necessary nutrients for healing after surgery.”  – World Health Organisation.

What happens if I smoke before or after surgery?

  • Delayed wound healing
  • thicker scars
  • increased risk of blood clots and DVT
  • increased risk of infection
  • increased pain
  • lowered immune system

Quit smoking — and things turn around quickly

According to a new joint study by the World Health Organisation, the University of Newcastle, Australia and the World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists (WFSA), every tobacco-free week after four weeks improves health outcomes by 19% due to improved blood flow through the body to essential organs.

“The report provides evidence that there are advantages to postponing minor or non-emergency surgery to allow patients to quit smoking, resulting in a better health outcome,” said Dr Vinayak Prasad, Head of Unit, No Tobacco, World Health Organization.

All types of nicotine are bad

Don’t be filled into thinking that you can swap smoking cigarettes for e-cigarettes, vaping or chewing nicotine gum. All nicotine-containing substances are harmful and should be avoided at all costs before and after your surgery.

How serious is this?

Quitting smoking before surgery is extremely serious. In fact, in the US, plastic surgeons refuse to operate on a patient for a facelift if they smoke. To enforce this rule, many give their patients nicotine tests on the day of the surgery. If they fail the test, the surgery is cancelled, and the patient does not receive a refund.

 

For more information contact Dr Feldman’s office today.