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Each year, roughly 40 to 45 percent of the 45 million smokers nationwide try to quit, according to The New York Times. Only about 5 percent quit for life. The growing number of Beverly Hills breast augmentation-surgery patients these are motivated to quit for other reasons: vanity, and the threat of not being able to get a coveted new face, stomach or pair of breasts.

“When someone hears this from an internist or cardiologist who says it’s really bad for you, it increases your risk of lung cancer, it’s bad for your heart, people tend to blow that off if they’re feeling well,” said Dr. Alan Gold, the president of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. “But if they have a medical problem and are not going for just a routine checkup, they may tend to listen to that advice more.” With cosmetic surgery Beverly Hills plastic surgeons explain, it’s a little bit different. People are desirous of an elective procedure, and that’s their main objective in coming in. It’s something they truly want.

For Procedures That Shift Skin Like Facelift Or Brachioplasty Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeons Say No

For the last 5 to 10 years, many plastic and cosmetic surgeons have refused to operate on smokers, especially those seeking a face-lift, tummy tuck, breast-lift, or arm lift (brachioplasty) — procedures that require skin to be shifted.

Nicotine causes the tiny blood vessels in the skin to clamp down or constrict, which reduces blood supply to the skin. Complications can include poor wound healing, increased risk of infection, longer-lasting bruises, and raised, red scars.

Plastic and cosmetic surgeons recommend quitting a minimum of two weeks before and after procedures, though some require longer to be extra safe. (Smokers also run the risk of infection and respiratory complications during anesthesia). For instance, many plastic surgeons mandate six weeks of smoke-free living before eyelid surgery, breast, or buttock augmentation Beverly Hills sources tell us, and six months to a year before a tummy tuck.

Plastic surgeons cite a few reasons why now, more than ever, they require patients to kick the habit. In recent years, as the number of operations has skyrocketed — roughly 11.7 million cosmetic surgical and nonsurgical procedures were performed nationwide in 2007, up from 3 million in 1997, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery — more people (and smokers) are coming through the doors.