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FUE and smoking


marvin7

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  • Senior Member

I would definitely wait at least a week after surgery to start smoking again. You want your body and immune system to be in the best possible position to effectively receive the grafts and the smoke/nicotine is not gonna do you any favors. The first 5 days or so after surgery are crucial, so don't do anything to jeopardize that. Heck, I would even consider the HT as a launching pad into stopping smoking altogether. In addition to all the other health risks, smoking has been also been linked to hair loss, so it almost seems counterproductive to keep it up.

I am a patient advocate for Dr. Parsa Mohebi in Los Angeles, CA. My views/opinions are my own and don't necessarily reflect the opinions of Dr. Mohebi and his staff.

Check out my hair loss website for photos

FUE surgery by Dr. Mohebi on 7/31/14
2,001 grafts - Ones: 607; Twos: 925; Threes: 413; Fours: 56

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  • Senior Member

Actually, quite a few patients are smokers and there are more than a few posting here who smoked at home or outside the hotel after their procedures. There's no conclusive evidence to suggest that smoking ruins or adversely affects the outcome of a hair transplant.

 

Of course, I'm not saying it's a good idea but increasingly these days, a careless or inadequately-trained tech represents a bigger threat to a favourable result than a few ciggies.

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  • Senior Member

Cryingoutloud, I am afraid that you don't know what you are talking about and should leave the pre and post-operative instructions up to the individual surgeon.

 

Smoking

It is well-known that smoking increases the risk of heart and vascular disease, stroke, chronic lung disease, and many kinds of cancers. Similarly, the negative effects of smoking on wound-healing outcomes have been known for a long time (Siana et al., 1989; Jensen et al., 1991; Ahn et al., 2008). Post-operatively, patients who smoke show a delay in wound healing and an increase in a variety of complications such as infection, wound rupture, anastomotic leakage, wound and flap necrosis, epidermolysis, and a decrease in the tensile strength of wounds (Chan et al., 2006; Ahn et al., 2008). In the realm of oral surgery, impaired healing in smokers has been noticed both in routine oral surgery and in the placement of dental implants (Levin and Schwartz-Arad, 2005; Balaji, 2008). Cosmetic outcomes also appear to be worse in smokers, and plastic and reconstructive surgeons are often reluctant to perform cosmetic surgeries on individuals who refuse to quit smoking (Siana et al., 1989; Bennett, 1991). Approximately over 4000 substances in tobacco smoke have been identified, and some have been shown to have a negative impact on healing (Ahn et al., 2008). Most studies have focused on the effects of nicotine, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen cyanide from smoke. Nicotine probably interferes with oxygen supply by inducing tissue ischemia, since nicotine can cause decreased tissue blood flow via vasoconstrictive effects (Ahn et al., 2008; S?rensen et al., 2009). Nicotine stimulates sympathetic nervous activity, resulting in the release of epinephrine, which causes peripheral vasoconstriction and decreased tissue blood perfusion. Nicotine also increases blood viscosity caused by decreasing fibrinolytic activity and augmentation of platelet adhesiveness. In addition to the effects of nicotine, carbon monoxide in cigarette smoke also causes tissue hypoxia. Carbon monoxide aggressively binds to hemoglobin with an affinity 200 times greater than that of oxygen, resulting in a decreased fraction of oxygenated hemoglobin in the bloodstream. Hydrogen cyanide, another well-studied component of cigarette smoke, impairs cellular oxygen metabolism, leading to compromised oxygen consumption in the tissues. Beyond these direct tissue effects, smoking increases the individual’s risk for atherosclerosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, two conditions that might also lower tissue oxygen tension (Siana et al., 1989; Jensen et al., 1991; Ahn et al., 2008).

 

Several cell types and processes that are important to healing have been shown to be adversely affected by tobacco smoke. In the inflammatory phase, smoking causes impaired white blood cell migration, resulting in lower numbers of monocytes and macrophages in the wound site, and reduces neutrophil bactericidal activity. Lymphocyte function, cytotoxicity of natural killer cells, and production of IL-1 are all depressed, and macrophage-sensing of Gram-negative bacteria is inhibited (Ahn et al., 2008; McMaster et al., 2008). These effects result in poor wound healing and an increased risk of opportunistic wound infection.

 

During the proliferative phase of wound healing, exposure to smoke yields decreased fibroblast migration and proliferation, reduced wound contraction, hindered epithelial regeneration, decreased extracellular matrix production, and upset in the balance of proteases (Ahn et al., 2008).

 

Pharmacologically, the influence of smoking on wound healing is complicated, and neither nicotine alone nor any other single component can explain all of the effects of smoking on wounds. What is certain is that smoking cessation leads to improved repair and reduces wound infection (Sorensen et al., 2003; Lauerman, 2008). For surgery patients who find it difficult to forego smoking, the use of a transdermal patch during the pre-operative period might be beneficial. A study has shown that the use of a transdermal nicotine patch as a nicotine replacement for smoking cessation therapy can increase type I collagen synthesis in wounds (S?rensen et al., 2006). Despite the overall negative effects of smoking, some recent studies have suggested that low doses of nicotine enhance angiogenesis and actually improve healing (Jacobi et al., 2002; Morimoto et al., 2008).

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smoking lol just never understood why someone wud CHOSE to ingest toxic cancer into their lungs so they can die a slow and painful death smh.

 

why wud u even chance ur results being stunted so u can take another 7 minutes off ur life from each cigarette? cmon bro its common sense. u spend thousands of dollars on a HT. giv it a rest for a couple weeks. in fact, why not use this as an opportunity to quit!

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  • Senior Member

I am no doctor....

I have never smoked a cigarette in my life

and obviously it is not wise to smoke the day of surgery

but I seriously doubt having a couple of smokes will cause

a 75-100% failure in grafts....probably not even a 25% failure.

I'd say don't smoke...but if you are so addicted you cant control

yourself and know it could effect the outcome slightly and are

ok with that....then go for it!

Dr. Dow Stough - 1000 Grafts - 1996

Dr. Jerry Wong - 4352 Grafts - August 2012

Dr. Jerry Wong - 2708 Grafts - May 2016

 

Remember a hair transplant turns back the clock,

but it doesn't stop the clock.

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  • Senior Member
I appreciate everyone's input and would like to inform that I haven't been smoking in days. I think this is it for me.

 

Atta boy.

I am a patient advocate for Dr. Parsa Mohebi in Los Angeles, CA. My views/opinions are my own and don't necessarily reflect the opinions of Dr. Mohebi and his staff.

Check out my hair loss website for photos

FUE surgery by Dr. Mohebi on 7/31/14
2,001 grafts - Ones: 607; Twos: 925; Threes: 413; Fours: 56

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  • Senior Member

I has a smoke after my procedure....and maybe a few during the week after. Didn't seem to do my follicle growth any. The effect it would have on blood pressure wouldnt be much more than walking up a flight of stairs. One or two wont hurt. However, try an e-cigarette. I haven't touched a smoke in to months now and barely use the e-cig in the last week. Wouldn't have been able to quite if it wasnt for it.

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  • Senior Member

I was never a smoker, but I enjoyed a few drinks a week and on the weekend. That was pretty hard for me to stop at least a month before surgery. I found that after a few months of not touching an alcoholic beverage, I felt better, slept better, and lost quite a bit of weight. If it were not for alcohol restriction prior my HT procedure, I highly doubt I would have curtailed by use of alcohol. Another good side effect of the HT procedure!

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  • Senior Member

Smoking supposedly restricts blood flow and your head needs good healthy blood to stimulate and heal the procedure area. That alone should be enough of a reason if you are spending 1000's of whatever to look good.

 

I stopped 37 years ago and am 64, healthy, active, and had a great procedure. That should egg you on.

 

OF course, another reason is that you don't want to end up like my sister who died a slow miserable death at 57 of jaw cancer.

 

But it's really your choice, isn't it?

I'm serious.  Just look at my face.

 

My Hair Regimen: Lather, Rinse, Repeat.

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