If you are considering having plastic surgery, you may be curious about how you can best prepare your body for a successful procedure and smooth recovery. All post-op instructions will agree that one of the best ways to ensure a speedy recovery and safe surgery is to stop smoking tobacco. If you are a smoker, this may seem like a daunting task. But the benefits of stopping smoking before your procedure greatly outweigh the difficulty of breaking your habit.
Below we list the reasons why it is beneficial to stop smoking before surgery:
1. Smoking Increases Risk of Surgery Related Complications
In recent years, research has shown that smoking increases the risk of complications during surgery. Such complications include heart attack, stroke, shock and even death. Stopping smoking even just a week before surgery can help reduce these risks. But for your safety and to guarantee you the best results possible, we recommend stopping smoking for at least six weeks before your procedure, and six weeks afterward.
2. Smoking Makes your Recovery Harder
Smoking reduces blood flow and has a negative effect on your body’s circulatory system, making surgical wounds less likely to close after your procedure. This reduces your body’s ability to heal well. Patients who smoke before their surgeries have a higher risk of scarring and usually endure longer, more uncomfortable recoveries than patients who do not smoke. Just within a day or two after stopping smoking, the body can bring more oxygen to cells and blood flow improves, making it easier for your body to heal.
3. Smoking Increases your Risk of Infection
Because smoking reduces blood flow, it also increases your risk of encountering an infection after surgery. Wounds tend to take longer to heal, becoming more prone to harmful bacteria. Research shows that three to six weeks after stopping smoking, the body’s defenses against bacterial infection improve.
In Conclusion
Smoking has a negative effect on the body’s ability to circulate blood throughout the body. This can create complications during your procedure and during your recovery period, including heart issues, poor healing and infection. At Mia Aesthetics, we recommend stopping smoking at least six weeks before and six weeks after your procedure to ensure the smoothest, most successful surgery possible.