Is it safe to perform a mastopexy on a nicotine user?

A majority of experienced plastic surgeons often refuse to perform a mastopexy on patients who smoke a pack a day or more. However, the safety of performing a mastopexy on a patient largely depends on how tight the skin is pulled. Hence, surgeons often perform mastopexy surgeries on people who smoke one or two cigarettes a day or less than a pack per week. But there’s a catch. Even in the lightest of smokers, surgeons do not take the risk of tightening the skin as tight as in a non-smoker. As a result, in nicotine-using patients, the pull on the blood vessels which are considerable in healing power to the incision line isn’t present. Even though Dr. Foster performs the surgery on light smokers by strictly adhering to safety guidelines, the results achieved wouldn’t be as good as a non-smoker.

Increased Risks from a Mastopexy for Smokers

As with all surgeries involving the breast, scarring can be a potential risk for mastopexy patients. Even though the scars tend to fade with time in non-smoking patients, almost all of the plastic surgeons are of the opinion that smokers can suffer from increased amounts of poor healing and scarring than non-smokers.

Most surgeons also agree that as a result of nicotine in their bodies, smokers are more prone to be subjected to risks like skin loss and wound healing complications than normal, non-smoking patients.

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