Smoking and surgery is a bad combination and effects the outcome of your surgery, increases your risks and recovery, effects healing and anesthesia. Smoking significantly increases the risk for postoperative complications, such as pneumonia, wound infections and pulmonary complications, heart attack and stroke. These complications can be extremely serious and even fatal. If you are a smoker and are scheduled for surgery, quitting smoking 8-10 weeks before your surgery is the best thing you can do to improve the outcome of your surgery. If you are wondering why you should quit smoking before surgery you should know that the smoke you inhale contains a deadly brew of Nicotine, chemicals, additives and Carbon Monoxide.

Carbon monoxide in particular has 200 times more affinity for your blood than oxygen. This means that your blood is sticky from the carbon monoxide from smoking, it’s like putting flour into water. If you are having surgery and are a regular smoker you have sticky blood from the excess carbon monoxide in your blood stream 24-7-365.  In fact most smokers who consume 20-25 cigarettes a day will have carboxyhemoglobin (HbCO) levels ranging between 30 and 60 ppm, ZERO is normal for non-smokers. At Freedom Laser we know the importance of HbCO and surgery and our highly effective protocol includes testing for HbCO. Get Tested  in under 5 minutes before you go under.