Michelle A. Spring, M.D.
Monday, July 12, 2010
The Risks of Smoking and Surgery
Premature aging is one of the main reasons people inquire about the services of a plastic surgeon. Face lifts, chemical peels, and dermal fillers are very popular requests among smokers. How else are they going to deal with the lines around the mouth, the uneven skin tone, the sagging and the wrinkles caused by years of lighting up?
We all know that smoking is not good for our health or our personal appearance. It greatly increases our risk for vascular disease, cancer and emphysema; and it ages us by causing shortness of breath, wrinkles, staining our teeth and making our clothes and hair smell. If you ask your surgeon who makes a good candidate for plastic surgery (or any kind of surgery) the common answer, among other things, will be “non-smokers”.
Why does smoking greatly increase the risk for surgery? Whether you smoke two packs a day, or consider yourself to be a “social smoker” you are susceptible to prolonged healing and major complications during surgery. Cigarette smoke contains nicotine and carbon monoxide. Nicotine makes the heart work harder, so it needs more oxygen, but carbon monoxide prevents blood from carrying oxygen to the heart. This strains the heart and increases the risk of pulmonary lung complications while under an anesthetic.
Postoperatively, smoking greatly interferes with the healing process and increases risk for infection. “Nicotine is a powerful substance that decreases blood flow to healing tissues. This increases the risk of infection, delayed healing, tissue loss and scarring. Smoking or using any other nicotine-containing products four weeks before or four weeks after surgery can adversely affect your results, causing general dissatisfaction which may not be repairable” says Dr. Spring of Seasons Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in Ponderay, Idaho.
We all know that smoking is not good for our health or our personal appearance. It greatly increases our risk for vascular disease, cancer and emphysema; and it ages us by causing shortness of breath, wrinkles, staining our teeth and making our clothes and hair smell. If you ask your surgeon who makes a good candidate for plastic surgery (or any kind of surgery) the common answer, among other things, will be “non-smokers”.
Why does smoking greatly increase the risk for surgery? Whether you smoke two packs a day, or consider yourself to be a “social smoker” you are susceptible to prolonged healing and major complications during surgery. Cigarette smoke contains nicotine and carbon monoxide. Nicotine makes the heart work harder, so it needs more oxygen, but carbon monoxide prevents blood from carrying oxygen to the heart. This strains the heart and increases the risk of pulmonary lung complications while under an anesthetic.
Postoperatively, smoking greatly interferes with the healing process and increases risk for infection. “Nicotine is a powerful substance that decreases blood flow to healing tissues. This increases the risk of infection, delayed healing, tissue loss and scarring. Smoking or using any other nicotine-containing products four weeks before or four weeks after surgery can adversely affect your results, causing general dissatisfaction which may not be repairable” says Dr. Spring of Seasons Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in Ponderay, Idaho.
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PLASTIC &am RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY
30544 Hwy 200, Suite 102 | Ponderay, ID 83852
Phone. 208.265.4005 | Fax. 208.263.7249 | Contact Us
BREAST SURGERY
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