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 Smoking can make your nipples fall offAnthony Youn, M.D., is a plastic surgeon in Metro Detroit. He is the author of “In Stitches,” a humorous memoir about growing up Asian American and becoming a doctor.
Yes. Smokers who undergo breast lifts are at great risk of losing their nipples. I’ve seen it before. The nicotine in cigarettes and the carbon monoxide contained in cigarette smoke can diminish blood flow to various parts of the body. These toxins act as a virtual tourniquet. If the blood flow to a particular body part becomes greatly reduced or halted, that body part dies. We went medieval. We used leeches. Because of the mechanics of blood flow, when the blood supply is inadequate, which occurs with smoking, the tiniest veins often fail. This insufficiency results in a backup of old (venous) blood in the body part, causing it to turn purple. If the backup of old blood is serious enough, the purple color may eventually turn black. That’s when we know the body part - toe, finger, or nipple - is dead. We use leeches to literally suck out the excess venous blood from the body part, acting as an attachable vein. The leech drains the old blood, causing it to turn from unhealthy purple back to healthy pink. We place leeches intermittently until the body part grows new blood vessels to do the leeches’ work. This can take several days. Not long ago, during a consultation for a breast lift, a patient, Susan, admitted to being a pack-a-day smoker. I informed her that smoking can cause difficulty in healing and instructed her to quit smoking at least one month before surgery and to stay off cigarettes for at least a month afterward. Several months later, when she arrived at the hospital for her breast lift, she smelled like an ashtray. “Susan, I thought you quit smoking.” “I did. OK. For a while. It’s really hard to quit, Dr. Youn.” “I know,” I said. “But this is a big deal. There could be major healing problems if you smoke before or after surgery.” “I understand. But I want to go ahead with the surgery anyway. It’ll be fine.” She wasn’t hearing me. I needed to get through to her. “Susan, listen to me. If I operate on you, your nipples could turn black and fall off.” Her eyes widened. “You mean… I’d have no nipples?” “No nipples. That’s what smoking can do.” Susan flushed. She raised her voice. “Dr. Youn, I took a week off work for this surgery. I had to put my whole life on hold for an entire week. If you told me I’d lose my nipples from smoking, I would’ve quit for good. This is your fault.” Yes. Seriously. Susan blamed me for the inconvenience. Thanks to her, I’ve changed my policy. In addition to the Surgeon General’s Warning that appears on cigarette packages, I now offer the Plastic Surgeon’s Warning to all my patients who smoke: If you are having a breast lift or reduction and you smoke, your nipples could turn black and fall off. If you are having a tummy tuck and you smoke, you may get an infection resulting in a big gross open wound that will take three months to heal. If you are having a facelift and you smoke, the skin of your cheek could turn black and slough off, leaving exposed fat. Imagine yourself looking like “Two-Face” from “Batman: The Dark Knight.” And do you really want me to reach for the jar of leeches? Smokers, you have been warned.
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I cringe every time I see a patient for a breast lift who is a smoker. I’m deathly afraid that despite my warnings, she will smoke before or after surgery and cause her nipples to turn black and fall off.
What POSSIBLE crapola can they come up with next.
I smell a smoker in denial....
He is not lying. I have seen it with my own eyes.
It happened to my freinds finger , she almost lost it because she refused to stop smoking like her Doc said too . It's not crapola .
ha
Both smoking and frivolous cosmetic surgery are pretty disgusting I think.
I concur whole heartedly....
Don't assume that all plastic surgery is frivolous. Until you have walked in the shoes of those having it you have no idea of why they want/need it. I have a breast reconstruction after a mastectomy and had a breast reduction at the same time to get some symmetry. There are many reasons people may require plastic surgery.
I quit smoking a month before my tummy tuck in July, because my doctor showed me photos of smokers' wounds that failed to heal. I'm so glad I quit - and glad to have that roll of fat gone from my waist! (To all those people who say "Just exercise and you can have a flat stomach," I say, Have three kids and you'll find out that exercise won't get rid of your ab flab.)
Even better reason to quit smoking, your kids. Great job. I hope you never smoke again and are around for your kids for a long time.
I have been thinking of getting a tummy tuck. Is it risky , painful, expensive? How long did it take you to get back? Sorry, too many questions, but will help me
I'm reading this while smoking. I figuare that there are too many people in the world and smoking will get rid of lots of us, so the US government will save lots of money when it finally passes its health care bill. I really deserve a pat on the back for this.
LOL too funny........
Smoking Causes The most health care costs. So you aren't saving us any money you're costing us. We should tax you more.
Just what I wanted to hear! I'm starting again. Let's start a movement...call it WHYQUIT?
I say, what an idiot.......
@Smoking. Wrong, Obesity cost health care the most.
The only problem is its ALCOHOL killing everyone,and not only the DUMB DRINKERS of this Poison But others as well...Its not smoking,Its ALCOHOL Killing everyone
Hey Smoking, we ARE taxing smokers more. Do you know what a pack costs these days, and how much of that cost is federal and state taxes?
It won't save money, it will cost us all millions more.
Interesting name, Margo Zargo. I once knew twins named Zelda and Zelma Ziegler. For what it's worth, lol.
I'm with you Margo. But I've only been smoking for 50 years, so it may be a while. But I AM trying.
Margo: You will definitely feel differently if you are diagnosed with lung cancer. My sister was a smoker since she was 13. She died at the age of 44 from lung cancer. She used to say the same thing you are saying but at the end she would have given anything for more time. Her sons were only 14 and 17 when she died. She didn't even make it to her sons high school graduations, college graduations and was not at her youngest son's wedding. We miss her so much.
Smokers are far from the largest strain on healthcare. Fat people are. More health problems stem from obesity than any of the harmful vices people have. At least a meth addict has the decency to die in a few years. A fat person drains precious healthcare dollars for a lifetime while continuing shoveling food into themselves.
You're not only getting rid of yourself, your second hand smoke is harming others who don't smoke! Wake up. Smokers are self-haters in denial.
Is this charlatan a real doctor? A graduate of where... the Michele Bachman School of Medicine where she learned that the HPV vaccine causes mental retardation? ? This country is becoming dumber and dumber every day, and the gullible are more gullible every minute. Have we lost our collective ability to think and analyze and question, for once, the constant fear-mongering BS we hear about everything?
you're retarded
smum, I'm guessing you're not a doctor. I agree there are crazy assertions about medical interventions out there, but you may want to take a closer look at this one. Say, in a medical textbook. Robbins Pathology would be a good start...
Everything the plastic surgeon said is true. As a cancer doctor many ladies choose mastectomy and reconstruction, and indeed there is a higher rate of micro-vascular failure among smokers. The surgery in these cases is not "frivolous cosmetic surgery" as one poster implied. And yes leeches are a commonly used method of "leeching" out swollen blood engorged wounds to prevent tissue death (look it up, "medical leeches")
Nicotine is a vasoconstrictor and increases clot formation (both of which can lead to decreased bloodflow to parts of the body). What part of that sounds inconsistent with this Dr's description of its effects? Do you really think a plastic surgeon would be fearmongering if he didn't have a good reason? He's in the business to make money, not scare people away from surgery.
Exactly – NICOTINE is a vasoconstrictor. It's not "toxins in cigarettes and carbon monoxide." The doctor here is delivering the right message with the wrong support. If nicotine is the problem, and nicotine can come in many forms, then call it out as the problem. But don't mix facts and say that it's cigarettes' toxins – nicotine is a drug, just like caffeine is a drug. Are people being moralistically chastised for drinking a pot of coffee? They might be getting told to cut down to lower their blood pressure, but no one is calling them leeches on the healthcare system for it....
(This is coming from a happily-quit smoker)
^ What was the doctor supposed to say instead then, it's ok to still use nicotine-free, carbon monoxide-free cigarettes? Nice try. You might have quit, but it looks like smoking has still left a stain on you.
Of course plastic surgery is perfectly safe for non-smokers right?
I don't remember anyone saying that. Did you have trouble reading the article?
When will people learn to take responsibility for their actions? All too often people make bad decisions and quickly blame someone else, instead of blaming themselves. Remember the days before product liability and all the safety warnings? All of the idiots would take themselves out of the gene pool, not we have to protect them...... This lady probably would have used her hair dryer in the tub if the label didn't tell her not to.....
Good post. I agree!
This is real folks. And not just with plastic surgery, smokers who aren't having surgery can lose fingers and toes, even entire hand or foot due to vasoconstrictive effects. Google Buerger Disease. In medical school, we get to see the really gruesome pics thanks to people with unhealthy behaviors!
It's very real. Smokers don't heal. A reputable plastic surgeon would have called off this surgery as soon as he sensed that the patient was still smoking. I have a friend who is a plastic surgeon, and she won't perform any facial surgery on smokers. Period. Just too risky.
So...If Newt smoked would his head fall off ?
We could only hope!! LOL
+10000000000000000000
This is the single funniest headline on a news site in while.
Headline and first bit of story is misleading. It makes you think that it could happen to any woman. Then you find it is the women who smoke and have had plastic surgery. Not the same as the headline and start of article.
The headline got you to read the article. I'd say it was a pretty good one...
Beam me up, Scotty. There's no intelligent life here.
Does this also apply to male enhancement surgeries????
If you master bait too much your wee knee will fall off.
Also, if you don't switch hands, it will get bent to one side over time. I know.
Stop critisizing ! Who has the degree here ?! If the DOCTOR says STOP smoking, he does it for a reason. In my opinion and knowledge, he didn't tell her EXACTLY what happened because she wouldve gone into stress mode, and stress causes wounds to heal slower if not STOPS healing ! Gosh, why did she go for the sugery if she wasn't willing to LISTEN.
unfortunately, it boils down to the person. in my opinion, cosmetic surgery means you 1. hate urself 2. found an easy way to fix it. these are people who can't think rationally, and, again unfortunately, there r people out there that will do the deed, i.e. the doctor gettin paid to do it, but giving his warnings, and the person refusing to listen, it's on them, not the doctor, you can fix a fat stomach...not stupid
Kadrok you forgot 3. Are so disfigured that plastic surgery is the only way for you to feel 'normal' again. Believe me many people have to think long and hard before going ahead with plastic surgery and it is very scary to be going under the knife not knowing how it will turn out and whether you are just making things worse.
Stop critisizing ! Who has the degree here ?! If the DOCTOR says STOP smoking, he does it for a reason. In my opinion and knowledge, he didn't tell her EXACTLY what happened because she wouldve gone into stress mode, and stress causes wounds to heal slower if not STOPS healing ! Gosh, why did she go for the sugery if she wasn't willing to LISTEN.....
Smoking can make your life fall off.
and by not smoking your life will still fall off.
As if there needed to be further evidence or another reason NOT to smoke. Aside from the health reasons not to smoke, it makes you stink, your breath stink, your hair and clothes stink, your teeth look ugly and your skin looks ugly. It also makes people think that you are weak minded since you choose to do something so horrid. If you are a smoker, you are less than.
Amen.
Talking down to people and calling them "less than" is pompous, mean – and it doesn't help anyone. Smokers are fully aware of the risks and consequences – it's called addiction, genius. I'm sure you live your life perfectly and have never had a vice. You could say the exact same thing about overweight people, and I am certain you would get a verbal punch-out. I hope no one in your family ever gets addicted to anything or has an OCD (food, drugs, alcohol, cigarrettes, etc) having you as a support system. Sheesh.
the only time if heard that kind of talk is from being around an ex-smoker check the mirror
I am (was?) a pack a day smoker. I just did an acupuncture treatment last week for an unrelated health problem, and an awesome side effect is that cigarette smoke now makes me want to hurl!! I can't believe it. I tried to light up out of habit, and I couldn't get down more than 3 puffs. It's like a miracle. I would highly recommend trying acupuncture – $60, one time, 2 hours....and I'm pretty certain I am going to be a non-smoker now.
I'm pretty certain you are delusional. Acupuncture is only known to treat thick wallet syndrome.
nice plug
The money you'd lose is certainly less expensive than cigarettes everyday. Certainly worth a try. My in-laws together have lost over 100lbs through acupuncture.
I used to smoke 2 1/2 packs a day.It wasn't easy, but I quit before I might get sick and die. But now, I see losers suing the tobacco companies for billions (and winning) because they didn't have the will to quit and they hurt themselves. That's no different than eating fast food until you're a fat pig and then suing the burger chain. Yes, it's addictive. So what? If I can quit, so can anybody. But it's so much easier to blame someone else, courtesy of class-action lawyers. No one twisted my arm to get me to smoke. It's a personal decision that carries consequences. Why should smokers be awarded for being weak?
BEST headline ever!!!
Good Lord, how old are you...twelve??? Oooooo, someone said the "n" word. Grow up!
When I read articles like this I always wonder how my mother's generation survived when there's so many hidden horrors in just about everthing we do....did their ignorance of these "facts" cause them to be immune from the effects? Seriously, next they'll tell us that smoking causes bunions. No matter how many horror stories (and lies) the medical probession and our government come up with, there will always be smokers. Everyone needs to get over it and move on with their lives.
smoking has been causing problems throughout time. most of these reconstructive surgeries are fairly new and more widely used today.
Ah, another nicotine addict in denial. The reason the rest of us aren't going to just "get over it and move on with our lives" is because smokers are poisoning us too. I should know, as I am very sick due to second-hand smoke.
If you want to smoke, knowing the risks, that's up to you, as is the decision to just go commit suicide. However, when my tax dollars are going to save your life because you just kept smoking, then it becomes my business. I think people that choose to smoke should put up a bond large enough to cover any additional medical needs they may have to guarantee the government doesn't end up paying to keep trying to save their life. Instead of launching into a nicotine fit, just think about it for a moment.
They should offer this to men.
Wha the hell do we need them for anyway??
ahh...nursing babies? free milk if you can master it.
And booze can rip your heads off
so it's smoking, not unnecessary elective comestic surgery that causes all these problems?
i don't remember a point in the article when it was said something was unnecessary.
My father who smoked a pack a day had emergency back surgery that involved removing bone from his hip and grafting onto the effected vertibrae. It didn't take because of his vascorestrictive effects of the nicotine and carbon monoxide intake. They told him to quit. He did not. Because of the intense pain he was experiencing, they did the surgery three more times over several years, and every time, there were complications because of the effects of his smoking. Finally, after all that, they installed a device that helped keep blood flow in place and it finally took, but by then the damage had been done. There is no way in h**l you can convince me that smoking is worth the pain I saw that man go through. If you need to quit then quit messing around and do it already....sheesh. But whether you do or don't, you have to take responsibility for your own health and not blame others if your bad habits kill you.
Smokers are in denial about the damage smoking causes.
PICS OR IT DIDN'T HAPPEN!
wow, if you would rather have leaches sucking your blood than quit smoking, you've got problems.
Cancer cures smoking.
Now you're just being silly, Youn.
wow. CNN is as bad as yahoo with their crappy alleged new stories
smoking must have cut off blood flow to her brain too
...so that's what caused it!
i have been smoking for round about 3 to 4 years and one pack daily and today i realized it as i m biological student these are all fact and cigartes are injurious to health but i will minimize my smoking trying level best and want to know that is smoking dangerous for my studies?
You're kidding me. You say people really suck on burning leaves, suck the smoke into their lungs and pay for the privileged? And we pay for all the trash they leave behind, on the streets, in the parks and on the sidewalk?
Thank for great information.
hhhahahhahahahahaha omg this is great
I am a nurse in the recovery room. A majority of what we do is cosmetic and reconstructive breast surgery. I have seen this happen on many occasions/ We have 2 groups of surgeons who test for nicotine in the urine (yes there is a test) prior to surgery and I have seen them refuse to do the case if the patient tests positive. I have seen a lot of women walk out angry without their new breasts but it is the MD on the line too not just the patient. Second hand smoke can cause the same problem too.
Really??? I'd guess that this 'warning' would scare people away from using this MD for much of anything-I find this a bit blown out of proportion.
This website was... how do I say it? Relevant!! Finally I've found something that helped me. Many thanks!
So... anyone else here because Robbaz told you to look this up?