If you’re a smoker, it’s important to have a good understanding of what to consider when it comes to smoking and plastic surgery recovery.
The connection between smoking and surgical recovery isn’t just about general health, but it can have an impact on how well your body heals, the risks you may face during recovery, and even the final results of the procedure.
In this blog, we’ll discuss how smoking may complicate plastic surgery recovery and the steps you can take to best support your body’s healing process.
How smoking can complicate surgery recovery
Essentially, at the same time, smoking and plastic surgery recovery are two things that can each put your body under strain. Not only does smoking affect how well your body heals, but plastic surgery recovery is a process that will require your body to be in good health and have even more energy than usual.
The primary issue with smoking and surgical recovery comes down to how smoking affects blood flow. Nicotine, the main active substance in cigarettes and other tobacco products, constricts blood vessels. This then reduces the amount of oxygen-rich blood reaching your tissues, which is extremely important for healing after surgery. Without enough oxygen, your body struggles to repair itself, which can put you at a higher risk of experiencing complications.
Apart from nicotine, there are actually other aspects of smoking that can have an effect on your body’s ability to recover after surgery. It can also weaken your immune system and have an impact on your overall energy levels, and a good immune system and sufficient energy are highly important to help your body heal.
Combined, all of these effects can interfere with nearly every stage of the recovery process after plastic surgery.
Smoking and plastic surgery recovery: The possible complications that can occur
When you smoke before or after plastic surgery, your risk of complications will typically increase.
Firstly, during the actual procedure itself, smoking can already put you at a higher risk of complications, such as breathing problems while you’re under anaesthesia. This is one of the reasons why smokers may not be considered suitable candidates for plastic surgery to begin with, or required to quit before surgery.
As for recovery, one of the most direct effects of smoking is a slower healing process, which can cause delayed wound healing. Surgical incisions may take longer to close, leaving you vulnerable to infections or other complications.
Since smoking can also weaken your immune system, it can make it harder for your body to fight off infections. Sometimes, even a small infection can delay recovery or compromise surgical results. While infections can be treated, it’s still best to support your body as much as possible, so that infections can be easily fought off or prevented altogether.
For certain types of plastic surgery, smoking can also increase the risk of skin necrosis. Skin necrosis is a complication where the skin doesn’t receive enough oxygen and can die, which can lead to more significant complications that would require further treatment.
Other complications can directly interfere with the quality of results, such as how scarring will be formed. When your skin is healing, collagen is one of the essential proteins that your body needs. Smoking can affect collagen production, which can then lead to more visible, irregular, or poorly healed scars.
Depending on your individual health, there may be other ways that smoking can put you at a higher risk of complications during or after surgery. It’s always highly important to discuss the details of your health during the consultation process and be completely open and honest with your surgeon.
Quitting smoking before plastic surgery: How long should you stop smoking for?
If you’re a smoker and you’re considering undergoing plastic surgery, one of the first things your surgeon will advise is to quit smoking.
Ideally, you should quit smoking at least six weeks before your surgery and remain smoke-free for at least six weeks after. This gives your body the best chance to heal properly and reduces the risks associated with nicotine and other harmful substances. However, your surgeon will specify the amount of time you’ll need to quit smoking for, based on your personal circumstances.
If quitting altogether feels overwhelming, try to think of this period as a necessary step to protect your health and the success of your surgery. Many people use this as an opportunity to quit for good, especially once they see the positive impact on their recovery and overall wellbeing.
Tips for quitting smoking before surgery
If you’re a smoker, it can feel quite overwhelming and daunting to think about quitting, especially when it’s so important to strictly quit before a surgical procedure.
Our first, most important tip is to seek personalised advice and support when quitting. If you feel like you can’t quit smoking entirely, it’s really important to be honest with your surgeon, so that you can discuss your options when it comes to approaching surgery (or alternative methods that may help you achieve the results you want, if surgery isn’t an option).
Firstly, setting a date to quit and learning about how smoking can affect your body during and after surgery can help. If you don’t think you’ll be able to quit in the longer term, thinking of the weeks before and after your surgery as temporary periods can help, too. However, of course, we’d advise you to remain smoke-free and quit altogether.
Discuss with your doctor if you should aim to quit immediately or slowly reduce smoking by your specified date. If you need to slowly reduce smoking or may need nicotine replacement therapy, it’s important that you allow yourself enough time to do this sufficiently, so that you can completely quit well before the date of your procedure.
While your doctor’s advice will be important, it can also be very helpful to have the support of your family and friends around you. If you feel comfortable to do so, we recommend letting your friends and family know about your decision, so that they can encourage you to stay on track. If you do feel that you need additional support, please allow yourself to reach out to healthcare organisations or other groups that help to quit smoking.
Dr Craig Rubinstein: Breast and Abdominoplasty Melbourne-based Specialist Plastic Surgeon
Based in Melbourne, Coco Ruby Plastic Surgery’s independent Specialist Plastic Surgeons have decades of experience performing various types of plastic surgical procedures.
Specialist Plastic Surgeons need to refine their skills and learn advanced techniques over their years of training and experience. Led by breast and abdominoplasty surgeon Dr Craig Rubinstein, the surgeons at Coco Ruby are not only passionate about delivering a high level of care but have also made valuable contributions to the industry.
The surgeons have taught in medical schools and contributed to research, industry advancements, training conferences and medical book chapters and articles.
If you’d like to book a consultation for your chosen type of plastic surgery, as well as discuss your suitability for the procedure and details of quitting smoking, please feel free to contact our team.