Following any major surgery, including breast augmentation, patients need to moderately alter their lifestyle to prevent complications with surgery. For example, patients who smoke should not smoke during recovery and ideally stop smoking several weeks before surgery as well. This includes any type of smoking including cigarettes, marijuana, and any other inhalation drug. One exception may be certain prescription drugs, but they may still need to be temporarily ceased.
Marijuana—while commonly used for recreational purposes—does have legitimate and valuable medical uses as well. Therefore, it is not always easy or recommended for patients to stop using the drug altogether. However, smoking of any kind puts patients at increased risk.
Why Can’t You Smoke After Breast Augmentation?
Smoking and vaping of any kind causes the blood vessels to contract and restrict blood flow across the body. This is generally a temporary effect, but for people who smoke daily or more than once a day, this can become a permanent state of being. After surgery, this restriction of blood flow hinders and slows healing. It may also put patients at an increased risk of blood clots, bruising, and other complications.
While smoking marijuana can have these effects, the drug itself does not. Therefore, depending on the circumstances, patients can likely continue consuming marijuana in the form of edibles. Edibles are usually candy, baked goods, or other foods that contain marijuana or marijuana derivatives.
Eating Edibles After Surgery
Patients who intend to eat edibles after breast augmentation should wait until the anesthetic has worn off before proceeding with marijuana edibles. Partially because the drugs both may have relaxing and sedative properties, but also because patients may still feel nauseous and queasy after surgery which could lead to vomiting up the edibles.
Usually, within about two days, patients can eat marijuana edibles without too much concern. However, patients should always tell their surgeon their intent to do this and discuss it before surgery. Cosmetic surgeons are not there to judge you or your lifestyle, they simply want to keep you safe during and after surgery. Therefore, disclosing all medical and recreational drugs you do allows them to alter their surgical plan and recovery advice.
In most cases, edibles after surgery are not a safety concern. In fact, marijuana edibles can sometimes help with pain and inflammation post-surgery. Still, patients should disclose any marijuana usage prior to surgery because this may impact the anesthesia protocol. After surgery, Dr. B will provide patients with instructions on how to continue marijuana safely, which is usually in the form of edibles.
Conclusion
For patients who smoke or consume marijuana on a regular basis, edibles offer a solution that allows them to continue using it which may even have some benefits after surgery. However, it should be noted that not all patients can or should continue using marijuana after surgery, even in the form of edibles. Patients who do not use marijuana likely have no reason to begin using edibles after surgery. Additionally, other medications or certain medical conditions may limit what a patient can consume following surgery.
