Can I Smoke Pot After Breast Augmentation?
The decision to undergo breast augmentation is life changing, and you most likely will have plenty of questions about the procedure. Some questions have simple answers, while some are a little more complicated. A question I get asked often (living in the great state of Colorado) is about recreational use of marijuana before and after plastic surgery.
Eden Knows Breast Implants recently tackled the argument behind using cannabis during recovery from breast augmentation. Here’s what she had to say:
The Benefits
First, it’s important to point out the science behind this controversial medicinal plant. Marijuana contains two kinds of cannabinoids: THC and CBD. The THC element is psychoactive, while the CBD component is widely accepted for its medicinal benefits including pain reduction. Many recreational cannabis users report benefits to their health from consumption that make them regular users. But, while marijuana has perks—it can help ease anxiety, pain, and stress and help you sleep better—there are some downsides when it comes to using pot during recovery from surgery.
The Buzzkill
While many of the side effects of using pot might sound appealing after breast augmentation (hello, pain reduction!), there are potentially dangerous effects that should be a concern to anyone recovering from a major surgery.
The use of marijuana during recovery also means:
- A slower heart rate and lower blood pressure. Because anesthesia is also a depressant, and you’ll likely be using a prescription pain medication, which can have sedative effects, it’s best not to add another depressing component to the equation.
- THC is known to affect the respiratory, cardiovascular, and heat regulation systems of the body. Using cannabis can reduce the amount of oxygen that reaches your cells, which can affect your blood quality and, thus, the ability for tissues and organs to respond to stress. In a nutshell, all of this affects your healing response (something you do not want to risk).
- Smoking anything increases the risk of coughing, and that could mean a variety of scary things like internal bleeding, developing hematomas, or opening up incisions.
- And of course, smoking could lead to tissue death from lack of oxygen, resulting in poor scarring, infection, and likely another surgery to correct the problem. And you don’t want that.
Bottom line: get a doctor to recommend alternative options for use in the weeks before and after surgery
Always be completely honest with your plastic surgeon about your medical history and drug use habits, including current cannabis usage. It is completely normal to feel anxious about surgery. If you normally use cannabis to calm your nerves, talk to your surgeon about safe, alternative ways to reduce anxiety and manage stress in the weeks before and after your procedure.
If you have any questions about the breast augmentation recovery process, contact us today. We would be happy to help address any causes of concern and make you feel confident and safe about your procedure and recovery.
it’s been 8 days after my breast augmentation I’m smoking already since day number 5 after,I would like to know if I taking any risk by smoking marijuana
Great question! Smoking marijuana should not directly affect your healing but it can put you at risk if you are doing this in addition to taking prescribed narcotics. The combination may over sedate you and put you at risk for falls, etc. Best to consult with your Plastic Surgeon and determine their specific thoughts on what you should do at this point.
I think it’s possible. Besides cannabis has no side effect. It’s a pain reliever too.
It’s been a day and two weeks since my breast reduction, and I smoked pot yesterday am I at any of these risks? I’m a young, healthy female who enjoys partaking but will abstain even longer if it will affect my healing significantly still.
Hi Ari, thank you for reading and reaching out! We cannot assess your specific risk or issue medical advice without seeing you in person. For our own patients, we recommend abstaining from marijuana as well as tobacco products, especially after procedures that involve tissue excision, such as breast reduction. We encourage you to call your own plastic surgeon to discuss your case. Good luck.