I currently vape, have upcoming breast mastopexy + Aug Oct 18,2023- questions About nicotine

Hello and thank you for your question. Given the elective nature of your surgery, and the detrimental effects of nicotine when it comes to wound healing (the vasoconstriction results in an increased risk of wound breakdown, skin necrosis, infection, etc), most plastic surgeons would recommend avoiding ALL nicotine products (including vaping and nicotine gum) for AT LEAST 6 weeks prior to AND 6 weeks after surgery. Some will also routinely test for nicotine prior to proceeding with surgery. To be safe, even if it says non-nicotine, I would still avoid it for this period to minimize any avoidable risk (after all, caffeine free sodas still have a tiny amount of caffeine). I hope this helps!
Best,
Dr. Donald Groves
Plastic Surgeon

In my practice I prefer for patients to be nicotine-free 6 weeks prior to surgery and 6 weeks after. I usually get urine cotinine testing at pre-op visit to ensure there are no further nicotine metabolites in the system! Vapes are unregulated and thus even vapes advertised as nicotine-free can be problematic in that some of them do include nicotine (evidenced on positive cotinine testing some of my patients). I would recommend avoiding all vapes 6 weeks before and 6 weeks after for best healing.

Congrats on quitting cigarettes! Preparing for surgery involves minimizing risks. Quit nicotine products (including vaping) at least 4 weeks before surgery. Nicotine affects healing. Switching to non-nicotine vape can still impact blood flow and healing. To ensure optimal recovery, it's best to refrain from all vaping during the healing process. Prioritize your health by following your surgeon's advice for a smooth and successful recovery.

Thank you for your question. Smoking (any kind of smoking) hinders the ability to heal properly, you should quit as soon as possible. I ask my patients to stop smoking at least 2 months before surgery and hopefully forever after.

Being completely healthy is the priority before surgery.

Hi kay55555,
Nicotine in any form has bad consequences for wound healing. Specifically, nicotine in any form will constrict small blood vessels, and these are the same small blood vessels which are essential for healing. For patients who smoke around the time of surgery, this means that your wounds are less likely to heal, and especially in the setting of augmentation mastopexy, you run the risk of wound healing problems, nipple necrosis/death, and also infection surrounding the implant.
While surgeons have different criteria, the minimum in my own practice is no smoking 4 weeks before and 4 weeks after surgery. That being said, the longer that you do not smoke before surgery, the better you are likely to do.
For an October 18 surgery, 2 months from now, I would suggest quitting immediately.
Hope this helps.
Best,Christopher Pannucci MDBoard Certified Plastic SurgeonPlastic Surgery NorthwestSpokane, Washington

You should have never started, but need to stop now. There are more harmful ingredients in vaping than smoking regular cigarettes. You will also need to avoid all vaping for at least 6 weeks to minimize risks. You are already at risk of not healing well because you smoke.

You will need to stop vaping several weeks before your surgery. The recommended length of time varies by surgeon, but the longer the better. You will want to wait until you are healed from surgery before vaping again. Your surgeon will let you know when you are cleared to begin non-nicotine vaping. Nicotine causes constriction of blood vessels which can lead to poor wound healing, infection, and necrosis.

There are a number of variables that can increase the chance of complications from this procedure. It’s very important to understand if you’re having implant augmentation in conjunction with the mastopexy. The combined procedure has a far higher likelihood of complications, then doing a mastopexy without augmentation. The lowest risk is an individuals who have no nicotine history at all. People who have a history of heavy nicotine abuse, will have increased risk of complication even years after they quit smoking. The more recently you’ve smoked the more risk you’re at. Each plastic surgeon will have a round protocol on what is or is not appropriate regarding smoking before and after surgery.
Some plastic surgeons will do nicotine Testing to confirm patients are nicotine free on the day of surgery.
There’s no correct answer, but the more days you spend off nicotine before surgery the better off, you’ll be.
If you have a provider, then I suggest you talk to that person. If not have a few in person consultations, and which time you can bring up your nicotine history and see what each provider has to say.
Best,
Mats Hagstrom, MD