Probably not. Lv 7. Nicotine comes in many forms of course, and it is important to realize that nicotine gum, or e-cigarettes with nicotine are not viable alternatives while preparing for surgery. Stay Away from Tobacco Products During the Pre-Op Process. Stretching the time between quitting smoking and your surgery out to at least 10 weeks can decrease your risk for problems even more. The amount of time between quitting and surgery will depend on the Plastic Surgeon and the procedure. Unfortunately, that theory is misguided. Together you can make a plan to quit and proceed with surgery. The Spine Center of Baton Rouge Blog Tobacco and Fusions: Quitting Before Surgery. 1 decade ago. Yes, it's bad for you whether you have anesthesia or not. While it's not linked to lung cancer like smoking, chewing tobacco and other smokeless tobacco products put users at an increased risk for several head, neck and mouth cancers, including squamous cell carcinoma as well as esophageal and pancreatic cancer. If you smoke and you’re planning to have plastic surgery, quit. Even if you don’t smoke cigarettes, you’re not off the hook if you smoke e-cigarettes or chew nicotine gum! Inhaling on a cigarette, much like sucking on a drinking straw, can dislodge blood clots from the surgical site, leaving bone and nerves exposed. Most doctors will tell you to stop using cigarettes and tobacco at least 4 weeks before your surgery. Just based on those two factors, you can see why it’s a good idea for you to not smoke if you’re a spinal surgery patient. Pangolin. [8,29] Furthermore, such interventions and effective cessation 6 to 8 weeks prior to surgery have been shown to reduce the risk of postoperative complications. SpineUniverse asked five of its Editorial Board members—orthopaedic spine surgeons and neurosurgeons—questions about tobacco use, vaping and spinal surgery. As a result, you can develop a painful condition called dry socket. We take care of smokers all the time. Chewing tobacco, Snus, are also a source of nicotine and need to be avoided. To get your body ready for the entire surgical process, patients should avoid smoking and using smokeless tobacco in the weeks leading up to surgery. But try not to wait that long; the earlier you quit the better — preferably a week or more before your surgery. It’s also helpful to not smoke during your recovery from surgery. Relevance. Follow your plastic surgeon’s recommendation, which may be to quit three to six weeks before surgery through three to six weeks after (though forever is best). Best to be off the tobacco/nicotine entirely before surgery. Whether you smoke cigarettes, e-cigarettes (electronic cigarettes), use other types of tobacco or not—you will be interested in what five spine surgeons had to say. Please be honest with your Board Certified Plastic Surgeon. Don’t be tempted to reach for smokeless or chewing tobacco … Favorite Answer. Second hand smoke counts too–do not share a car with a smoker before or after a surgery. If you think chewing tobacco is a healthier alternative to smoking, think again. Quitting smoking even the day before your surgery can lower your risk of complications. Like any addiction, quitting tobacco is difficult. 3 Answers. Before surgery can mixing chewing tobacco use or nicotine be bad before anesthisa medicines are given to you? Answer Save. Will it affect the anesthetic? Tweet; When considering the consequences of smoking cigarettes prior to having back surgery, there really is no grey area. Research has demonstrated that tobacco cessation interventions provided before surgery are effective in increasing abstinence rates at the time of surgery.