About 1 billion people around the world are addicted to cigarettes, this number is around 17 million in Turkey. Many adults around the world spend their lives addicted to cigarettes. The waste of smoking, which is the most important cause of cancer, which causes many important fatal diseases, is a fact known by everyone, especially smokers.
Smoking causes negative effects in all surgical operations, including hair transplant operations. Smoking addiction is the most important cause of many diseases from lung cancer to coronary artery disease. Smoking causes significant negative effects during and after surgical intervention, as well as the damage it leaves on healthy people. It is important for smokers to give a certain respite to smoking before the hair transplant operation, even if they cannot quit smoking.
Studies have shown that even individuals who have sufficient knowledge about the harms of smoking do not know that these wasted effects in surgery and surgical operations cause much more valuable dimensions. Although 92% of people know about the harms of smoking, they do not have enough information about the risks it poses during surgical intervention.
Harms of Smoking in Surgical Operations
The majority of major surgical operations are performed under general anesthesia. Smokers are definitely asked to quit smoking before important surgeries such as heart surgery. The main reason for this is that during general anesthesia, self-breathing is stopped and the breathing function is continued through the machine. The damage caused by smoking in the lungs can create significant risks during the awakening process of the person after general anesthesia.
Since hair transplantation operations are performed under local anesthesia, although it is outside of this risk group, smoking continues to have different negative effects.
It has been determined that smoking before the operation increases the risk of complications up to 6 times. Cigarette smoke causes an increase in the number of leukocytes and platelets in the blood. Cigarette smoking rapidly decreases the oxygen level in blood cells.
The rate of smoking cessation before surgical operations remains at 43% and affects the success rate of the operations. After the operation, 54% of the patients who smoke can smoke within two days before the beautification process takes place. This situation disrupts the healing and treatment process in a significant way.
With smoking, around 4000 chemical substances in the form of particles and gases enter the person’s body and cause deformation in the cellular dimension.
Effects of Smoking on the Cellular Dimension
There are around 6000 chemical elements in cigarettes, and when the cigarette is inhaled into the lungs, changes in the DNA structure of the body occur. Even a single cigarette smoked causes changes in cell structure and functioning. There are 55 cancer-causing factors that are heavily present in cigarettes, and the risk increases with each cigarette smoke.
These substances, which work up to the cells through cigarettes, adhere to the DNA structure, bind to DNA, and reveal the concept of “RESIGNED DNA” called DNA-ADDUCTS. Chemical elements that enter the body in the form of particles form residual matters that accumulate over time in areas such as the lungs and respiratory tract, which are directly affected by cigarettes, and trigger the formation of cancer.
Effects of smoking cessation before surgery
From the first second of quitting smoking, the carbon dioxide level in the blood gradually decreases and is replaced by oxygen, which has a great effect on the nutrition of the organs. Although the blood pressure level stays above normal for a long time, as the hours pass, the blood pressure level returns to normal after quitting smoking.
Quitting smoking 1 day before: It causes an increase in the level of oxygen in the blood. The decrease in nicotine taken into the body causes the heart rhythm to return to normal. The blood pressure and the constriction levels of the veins are normalized and the body begins to circulate slowly at the ideal level.
Quitting 10 days before: Quitting smoking 10 days before the operation improves ciliary functions. Airway functions have started to improve and a decrease in sputum is observed. In this process, although the immune system has not regained its former form, it has begun to regulate itself. The immune system, which works well before the operation, is the most valuable factor that reduces the risk of complications and infections. This also accelerates the wound healing process.
Quitting 1 month before: Physicians, who do not approve of smoking under any conditions or conditions, underline that smoking should be stopped at least 1 month before, especially in major surgical operations. The circulation system returns to normal 30 days after quitting smoking. The respiratory system began to be regulated, and the blockages disappeared. As long as there is no other problem or illness due to illness, blood pressure remains at its normal level. Lung functions increased by 2-3%.
The effects of smoking after the operation
In order not to interrupt the healing process, it is recommended not to be used after the operation. The obligatory period foreseen by the physicians in hair transplantation operations is 10 days. Since smoking after the operation will reduce the oxygen level in the blood, disrupt the blood circulation and prevent the real functioning of the immune system, it significantly affects the beautification period.
The effects of smoking after hair transplant operations negatively affect the success of the operation. Sensitive hair follicles, which are taken from the donor area and placed in their new places, need fast and healthy blood flow in order to be fed and get used to their new areas. Smoking after hair transplant operations can prevent or delay the growth of newly transplanted hair follicles.
Cigarette smoke and its toxic chemical elements, which cause narrowing of blood vessels, slow down the blood circulation and reduce the access of healthy blood to the newly planted hair follicles. Hair follicles that become sensitive after transplantation need more blood than usual in order to grow. Hair that cannot be fed properly, becomes weak and may fall out.
It is recommended not to smoke for at least 10 days after hair transplantation. It is valuable to follow this advice in order for the hair to quickly adopt its new places, become stronger, regain its natural form and grow rapidly. Do not forget that every cigarette smoked after hair transplantation destroys the nutrients and oxygen your hair follicles need.
Dr. Competent BAYER