Effects of smoking on cosmetic surgery

If you’re a smoker who plans to undergo surgery, then you must be aware that your vice can increase your complication rate. There is no question that smoking is bad for your body. Not only does it affect your cardiovascular system but as well as the different organs of the body.

If you continue smoking right up until the time of your surgery despite your surgeon’s warning, then you are giving yourself high risks for the following:

-Smoking gets your vein easily clotted. You will find that it is very hard to breathe during and after surgery as your heart will get less oxygen. Nicotine in the blood can increase your heart rate and blood pressure while the carbon monoxide competes with oxygen. It makes it harder for the body to get the oxygen that you need in different organs. Smoking also impairs the motion of the cilia, which increases the likelihood of your airways partially collapsing and makes it harder to breathe.

-The effects of certain anesthetic drugs during surgery get reduced. The chemicals in cigarette smoke interfere with the required chemicals for procedure and it can affect heart rate and break down the anesthetic medication. This might require your surgeon to use higher anesthetic doses.

-It would take longer time for the wounds to heal. It also increases the chances of having bad scars.

There are various studies that show smoking increases the risk of death within 30 days of surgery by almost 40%. It is highly recommended to quit smoking at least 2-3 weeks before your surgery to decrease the risk of complications.