Everyone has a bad habit they are not particularly proud to talk about. Few people boast about how many packs of cigarettes they smoke or cans of beer they consume, with good reason. However, when it comes to your personal health, especially when you are completing your medical history for your hair restoration surgeon, honesty, and openness is the best policy.
What do smoking and drinking have to do with hair surgery, you might ask? Plenty. Hair restoration surgeons need to know the extent of your smoking and drinking consumption to prepare for any risk you might have for complications from your procedure. Excessive drinking put you at risk for bleeding during surgery. These and other bad habits also put you at higher risk for post-surgical complications that may interfere with your recovery. In some cases, excessive drinking, smoking or drug use may cause your surgical incision to ooze or bleed. Cigarette smoke can affect your body’s ability to heal properly and can affect graft growth. Knowing the answers to these questions in advance can help your surgeon better protect you from these avoidable problems.
So when you get asked the following questions, answer as fully and honestly as possible:
Do you smoke and if so, how much?
Do you drink alcoholic beverages? If so, how much and for how long?
Do you use recreational drugs like cocaine?