Rhinoplasty is a cosmetic surgery intended to correct nose defects and imperfections (nasal humps, droopy nasal tip. In order to limit surgery related risks and maximize the outcome, several requirements must be met, including stopping smoking.
Do I have to stop smoking before and after nose surgery ?
Smoking before nose surgery : what are the risks ?
Before surgery, patients are asked to stop smoking, which is mandatory to go ahead with the operation. Smoking increases the risk of postoperative complications. Cigarettes can cause lesions in the skin’s capillary vessels and skin necrosis related complications.
Nicotine inhibits tissue healing, which normally allows proper wound healing. This risk is not inevitable, patients can avoid it by simply stopping smoking several weeks before their operation. Typically, surgeons ask their patients to stop smoking 6 to 8 weeks before surgery.
This requirement does only concern rhinoplasty surgery, it applies to any type of surgical procedure to avoid any additional risk of complication.
Do I have to stop smoking after surgery as well ?
Postoperative pain, swelling and bruising under the eyes are normal consequences of surgery, these can be more or less significant and differ in duration from one patient to another.
Cigarettes can alter wound healing, which is why patients are asked to stop smoking several weeks before and after surgery. Wound healing stabilizes after a few months.
Does this apply to electronic cigarettes ?
It is hard to know if electronic cigarettes can be harmful to patients’ health pre and post-op because of the lack of data. However, inhaled vapors from electronic cigarettes are likely to affect wound healing moderately compared to normal cigarettes. This is why stopping smoking electronic cigarettes is also required before surgery.
