How long should you ideally quit smoking before and after a transplant?

[TheDarkHour]

I know there was a study that showed a correlation between smoking 20+ cigarettes a day and hairloss. I usually only smoke 5-6 per day so how long would I have to quit before and after a transplant? Would smoking a low quantity have any major impact at all?

[Rahal Hair Transplant]

@TheDarkHour,

Smoking in general isn’t good for your overall health and body. However, I haven’t seen any evidence that smoking itself causes hair loss. Can extreme amounts of smoking potentially exacerbate her loss overtime? I’m sure airs possible. But in terms of who it might affect, how much, etc. I don’t know if you’re is any evidence to demonstrate this.  

As for hair transplant surgery, it’s in advised to stop smoking a couple weeks to a month before surgery simply because smoking can thin the blood.  But every surgeon and clinic has their own view and recommendation all that so I would speak to whichever surgeon you are considering and ask them.

I hope this helps 

Rahal Hair Transplant 

[TheDarkHour]

Just now, Rahal Hair Transplant said:

@TheDarkHour,

Smoking in general isn’t good for your overall health and body. However, I haven’t seen any evidence that smoking itself causes hair loss. Can extreme amounts of smoking potentially exacerbate her loss overtime? I’m sure airs possible. But in terms of who it might affect, how much, etc. I don’t know if you’re is any evidence to demonstrate this.  

As for hair transplant surgery, it’s in advised to stop smoking a couple weeks to a month before surgery simply because smoking can thin the blood.  But every surgeon and clinic has their own view and recommendation all that so I would speak to whichever surgeon you are considering and ask them.

I hope this helps 

Rahal Hair Transplant 

Thanks. Does this mean I can resume smoking fairly soon after the transplant?

[HappyMan2021]

I would say negligible to no impact. If you are still worried about it you should just ask the doctor directly. You are smoking cigarettes, your doctor should understand...its not like you are doing meth or heroin or something. 

[Steady45]

On 7/12/2023 at 8:40 AM, TheDarkHour said:

Thanks. Does this mean I can resume smoking fairly soon after the transplant?

Smoking causes vasoconstriction which reduces blood flow to healing wounds. Not smoking is literally post-operative care 101 after any type of surgery.

With a hair transplant, you are literally taking little parts of your scalp out and reinserting them somewhere new in the hope that they will heal into the new tissue and establish a new blood supply. Why on earth would you want to jeopardize that by cutting off blood and oxygen to the healing grafts.

In case you care to read more:

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6797353/

2. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Harriet-Hopf/publication/21225835_Cigarette_smoking_decreases_tissue_oxygen/links/59dbcaf20f7e9b1460fc2814/Cigarette-smoking-decreases-tissue-oxygen.pdf

Edited July 16, 2023 by Steady45

[vance7]

I'd think it must have at least some impact considering that every surgeon/clinic specifies not to smoke for varying periods pre and post op.

Pre-op I thought I was being shrewd by switching to an ecigarette, but then the surgeon gave me a bollocking when he checked my blood pressure and I'd told him.

From what I gather, the nicotine (and possibly other things in them) restrict the flow of blood and oxygen throughout your body, which obviously isn't ideal if you're recovering from surgery.

[GoliGoliGoli]

Post above is correct, nicotine is a vasoconstrictor. Vasoconstriction is not good for hair health. If you care about your hair you should quit smoking entirely and quit all nicotine products. 

At the very least you should quit smoking for a few days before and after surgery to make sure the blood flow to the scalp is optimized. I don't know if it has any real effect but it's worth doing anyways. I'd quit for as long as time before and as long a time after as you can, with a goal of quitting entirely. 

[Bucky O Hair]

Smoking is considered a comorbidity.  Just like diabetes, obesity, etc. 

It will hurt your surgical outcomes, no matter what the surgery is (whether it's a hair transplant or whatever).  

Not sure what the "time range" is to quit before your hair transplant, but I would assume that you would definitely have to quit smoking entirely until your full results have grown through.

[vance7]

16 hours ago, Bucky O Hair said:

Not sure what the "time range" is to quit before your hair transplant, but I would assume that you would definitely have to quit smoking entirely until your full results have grown through.

I'm only going off what I've heard from others or what I've read on this forum, but generally the first few weeks post-op (although I have also heard 2 days, 3 days, 6 days, and 10 days from different surgeons) are the most crucial in terms of avoiding smoking. Pre-op I've also heard ranges from a couple of days to a couple of months.

There doesn't seem to be anything definitive but it seems like most agree that the periods immediately prior to, and after transplant are where smoking could do the most harm. 

[TheDarkHour]

Well, the more recent responses have made me consider quitting for good. Guess if I can quit for two months I can quit for good, or at least for a year.