Smoking and the effects of tobacco are widely known to be hazardous to the body. Tobacco smoke has been shown to be harmful to one’s health in practically every area, including; lungs, cervix, vision, mood and emotional wellbeing, cholesterol, immune system, blood & clotting.
Thus, it will not be a surprise for you to hear that the impact that smoke and nicotine can reduce your chance of having a successful hair transplant.
Tobacco contains chemicals that are toxic to your blood cells. Nicotine hardens and constricts blood vessels in the body as a result of plaque buildup in the arteries or vessels caused by smoking. This reduces the amount of oxygen that can reach all of your inside organs. This method can also be used for anesthesia. In essence, a smoker’s body is less likely to be able to distribute anesthesia around the body, which can lead to difficulties during surgery.
So you may have at least two questions in your minds, if you are a smoker.
Why you shouldn’t smoke after hair transplant?
Because smoking narrows the vessels and slows blood circulation, smoking after hair transplantation causes not enough blood to go to newly transplanted sensitive hair follicles.
When to quit smoking before hair transplant?
Your doctor will inform you about the dangers of smoking and the effects it has on your health. It is normally recommended that you stop smoking a week before and two weeks after the treatment since the harmful compounds in cigarettes damage grafts and increase the likelihood of hair loss over time, particularly if there is a familial propensity. A healthy scalp, on the other hand, equals a healthy head of hair. It is critical to quit smoking in order to maintain a healthy scalp. As a result, it is recommended that you stop smoking at least 3 or 4 weeks before the procedure.
Is Smoking Dangerous For Hair Transplant Surgery?
Yes, of course it is.
The chemicals in cigarettes alter the consistency of blood, making it thicker. This raises the chance of blood clots in general, but it is more dangerous during surgery since appropriate clotting is required to halt bleeding without jeopardizing the incision site. Furthermore, an irregular blood clot following major surgery can cause serious health complications.
So, although hair transplants are non-invasive and safe treatments, it is still necessary for patients to check on their health and take every measure to reduce danger. Thus, patients are asked to quit smoking before their scheduled operation. This can significantly increase recuperation after a hair transplant and influence the procedure’s overall success. Without smoking, the donor area and the patient’s transplant location can heal considerably faster following a hair transplant, and regrowth can be better and healthier.
To conclude, because nicotine constricts your blood vessels and carbon monoxide reduces blood’s ability to deliver oxygen, smoking impairs blood circulation, stopping your hair follicles from receiving adequate oxygen and dying as a result. You should avoid smoking in general but it becomes more and more vital issue if you will undergone a surgery, including hair transplantation.
How Long Should I Avoid Smoking?
To get a better comprehension we should firstly acknowledge that smoking is hazardous in all conditions, then it should be separated to two aspects.
- Smoking before hair transplantation
Smoking should be avoided for at least a week before a surgical treatment, according to medical experts. Even this short period of time can reduce the risk of possible complications.
Hair transplant recuperation can be much enhanced, and the overall success of the procedure can be greatly increased, nevertheless, there is still little to do by patients. It is necessary to stop smoking for a period of time before to the hair transplantation procedure. Without smoking, a patient’s donor and transplant area can heal significantly faster following a hair transplant, and re-growth can be better and healthier.
Furthermore, the reason behind this obligation is directly linked with bleeding issues. It is normal to bleed during and after a hair transplant or other transplant procedure. This will be monitored by the surgeon and re-evaluated at a consultation the morning after your hair transplant. Smoking, on the other hand, can cause a patient to over-bleed or clot too quickly.
To conclude, the main reason to quit smoking before surgery is to avoid excessive bleeding to have a better results from the operation.
- Smoking after hair transplantation
On the other hand, patients are advised to limit their smoking after a hair transplant, with all patients advised to refrain from smoking for two weeks following hair transplant and other procedures.
The following two weeks after your treatment are the most critical in terms of hair transplant recovery. Thus, smoking after a hair transplant can have an ongoing impact on the procedure’s success. As you may be aware, smoking has an effect on the body’s immune system, and a smoker will normally take longer to recover after a hair transplant than a non-smoker. You should also keep in mind that smokers are more likely to have post-surgical infections.
Recent research also suggests that smoking increases the risk of necrosis, or skin death. In severe circumstances, this might lead to hair transplant failure since the follicles are irreversibly destroyed. Tobacco use has also been connected to hypertrophic scarring. This is simply hyperactive scarring, but it can make scars appear more prominently following hair transplants.
To sum up, it would be better for you to refrain from smoking for two weeks following hair transplant, if you want to get the best results.
References:
https://www.themaitlandclinic.com/how-long-after-hair-transplant-smoke/
