What effect does smoking have on the healing process after surgery?

Frequently Asked Questions: Breast Augmentation & Breast Implants

Smoking causes the blood vessels to constrict, reducing the blood supply and the oxygen carried by the blood to the surgical area. The tissues need this blood supply and the oxygen that the blood carries in order to heal. When the blood supply is reduced, the tissues heal more slowly. Different doctors have different time frames for patients to refrain from smoking before and after surgery. We hear anything from five weeks prior and after, to one to two weeks prior and after. Ask your doctor how long he/she would like you to stop smoking before and after your surgery.