FUE hair transplant and smoking
How does smoking affect before and after a FUE hair transplant? What problems can experience patients if they don´t quit smoking? The following points are some of the main factors to consider,
Nicotine from cigarettes will cause the blood vessels to harden and constrict. In addition, carbon monoxide reduces the ability of the blood to carry oxygen.
Poor circulation can undermine a patient’s wound healing and prolong the entire process. If the skin takes longer to heal, there is a much higher risk of infection since particles and microbes have a better opportunity to enter.
If the skin has trouble in healing and closing the wounds, scabs and crusts may remain on the surface for longer periods of time: this will increase the likelihood of forming thicker scar tissue.
Smoking also increases the risk of skin death (i.e. necrosis). This effect can be minor or larger in scale, depending on the number of cigarettes the patient had smoked in the past. It has been found that smokers who underwent surgeries requiring significant areas of skin excision (e.g. flap surgery and scalp reduction) face a much larger risk of skin necrosis following a hair transplant procedure.
Furthermore, excessive oozing and bleeding may occur during the time of the surgery: this can extend the entire procedure and prolong the amount of time that the follicles are left outside the body. The limit time is around six hours.
The survival of the hair transplant grafts can also be impaired due to the lowered availability of oxygen and nutrients. However, this would largely depend on the individual and whether or not they are chronic, long-term smokers.
Patients who have smoked heavily for many years will have experienced drastic changes to their circulatory system that will more likely affect their wound healing capabilities and the survival of their grafts. But in those who are light or moderate smokers, smoking a few cigarettes after a procedure may not have much impact.
There are many examples of smokers who have been able to experience successful hair restoration results. But at the same time, there is still the risk of lowered density for others who regularly smoke.
