Nicotine restricts blood flow.
In the field of advanced body sculpting, Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) is essentially a complex fat transplantation technique. The success of the operation depends on the ability to efficiently harvest, purify, and reinject viable subcutaneous adipose tissues. These transferred fat cells have to form a strong connection to your body’s blood vessels very soon after their placement for them to remain alive. Nicotine is one of the most damaging substances in this fragile biological set-up as it is a well-known toxin. Smoking, vaping, or any nicotine intake by means of therapy directly damages the blood vessel system to such an extent that the fat cells are “starved” even before they are able to merge with the body.
At Lin Health Europe Clinic, the use of nicotine is considered to be a total ban on the autologous fat transfer procedure. Particularly, when dealing with our international clients who make a trip to Turkey, we thoroughly explain that even a top-class surgeon will not be able to fix the physiological damage caused by smoking. Our center is the top choice for buttock augmentation and it is characterized by such strict lifestyle protocols based on scientific evidence that we always put first the life and good health of your results biologically.
Vasoconstriction
Nicotine is known to cause fat graft rejection mainly because it promotes extreme vasoconstriction. Nicotine triggers the spasm of blood vessels chemically, which essentially means that the blood vessels get tighter, thereby greatly limiting the quantity of blood that is able to pass through the smallest blood vessels – the capillaries. For the first few days after their transplantation, the newly injected fat cells do not have their own blood supply; therefore, they are completely dependent on the tissue fluids around them to get oxygen and other nutrients. With nicotine narrowing the blood vessels, the surrounding tissue is starved of oxygen (ischemic), which leads to the death of these very sensitive fat cells due to a lack of oxygen.
At Lin Health Europe Clinic, our surgeons in Turkey recognize that a proper BBL is supported by the highest level of tissue perfusion. We aim to prepare a rich, well-vascularized environment in which your grafts will flourish. The choice of our famous clinic means that you will be systematically informed of the ways to safeguard this fragile environment, which is a demonstration of our position as the world benchmark for the survival of large-volume fat.
The Inhibition of Neovascularization
After the first 48 hours post-transplantation, fat grafts are expected to live a long time through neovascularization or the formation of new blood vessels in the gluteal area. A significant inflammatory response and the presence of growth factors are necessary for this. Nicotine immobilizes tiny intracellular actions responsible for the creation of these new vessels. Otherwise, the body would just absorb the transferred fat, and the patient would be left with a shrinkage of the volume, as well as a Dear, the image or result that is not satisfactory.
In Turkey, the Lin Health Europe Clinic team issues detailed instructions to keep the vessels healthy during this very important period of neocollagenesis and tissue fusion. We stress that in order for a BBL to be very successful, the surgeon’s skill and the patient’s biological healing ability have to work together. Our clinic is the most well-known one in the world when it comes to the highest rates of graft retention – this is the result of our strict policy of patient compliance in terms of nicotine cessation.
Clinical Consequences of Fat Necrosis
If a significant number of the fat cells that have been injected die because the supply of nutrients has been cut off by nicotine, they will not just disappear. One of the complications that can happen is called fat necrosis. The body tries to get rid of the dead cells by producing firm, calcified lumps under the skin, which may be unpleasant and visible, and can distort the smooth shape of the buttocks.
Furthermore, areas of dead tissue are very good places for dangerous infections after surgery. Addressing these is a major factor in the overall success of the results that Lin Health Europe Clinic achieves through its doctors’ advanced expertise. Our method in Turkey involves the use of state-of-the-art purification methods to ensure that only the healthiest, most viable fat cells are injected. One can only expect a great outcome when the internal environment is flawless. Our adherence to the most stringent clinical standards guarantees that you will be free from exposure to the very serious aesthetic and medical risks that are associated with smoking-induced tissue death.
Carbon Monoxide and Cellular Asphyxiation
Besides the vasoconstrictive impact of nicotine, inhalation of the smoke from combustion is another source of carbon monoxide, which is highly dangerous to the body. Carbon monoxide passes the oxygen supplied to your tissues by fastening itself to your red blood cells much more aggressively than oxygen does, thus effectively knocking out the oxygen supply your tissues so desperately need for healing.
In short, this results in systemic hypoxia, making fat graft starvation even worse, and also significantly slowing down the healing of your liposuction harvesting sites as well as the incisions made during surgery. Preoperative physiological assessments are part of the procedure at Lin Health Europe Clinic so as to guarantee the very best possible condition of your cardiovascular system for undergoing surgery. We put emphasis on enhancing your body’s capability to carry oxygen even at a stage long before you are scheduled for surgery.
Standards of Lin Health Europe Clinic in Turkey
At Lin Health Europe Clinic, it is our firm belief that the greatest luxury in aesthetic surgery is the peace of mind that is found in uncompromised safety. Our clinic in Turkey is at the forefront of medical excellence, where cutting-edge body-contouring technologies are combined with the highest standards of patient education and nurturing. We operate in world-class, JCI-accredited hospitals, which speak to our position as a global leader in medical tourism as well as autologous fat transfer.
When you decide to choose Lin Health Europe Clinic, you are in fact choosing a friend committed to your lasting success. Our BBL surgeons, based in Turkey, are internationally known and highly respected experts who mandate that all BBL patients maintain a nicotine-free state for a minimum duration of four to six weeks before and after their procedures. We will take great care of your entire experience – from the very first physiological clearance to the final revealing of your fully healed body – while exhibiting both the strict professionalism and exceptional hospitality that have made us the first name in aesthetic medicine worldwide. With us, your goal of attaining an hourglass figure will be expertly managed by the world’s best.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Smoking introduces nicotine into your veins and, chemically, it compels your blood vessels to shrink, drastically reducing the circulation. This deprivation of blood flow will starve the newly reallocated fat cells of the oxygen and nutrients they require to stay alive, and as a result, they die and get reabsorbed by the body.
According to clinical guidelines, you should completely eliminate all nicotine consumption for at least four to six weeks prior to your scheduled procedure. If you continue smoking until the day of your surgery at Lin Health Europe Clinic, your operation will be canceled due to the serious medical risks involved.
During your recovery, vaping is a big no-no because most of the e-liquids contain nicotine, which causes the very same constriction of the blood vessels as the regular cigarettes do. You should be totally nicotine-free for a minimum of six weeks after your surgery in Turkey so that the new blood vessels can get permanently attached to your fat grafts.
If fat cells run out of oxygen and die due to nicotine exposure, the body may wrap them into hard, painful lumps under the skin called fat necrosis. This condition distorts the smooth shape of the buttocks and greatly raises your risk of a serious postoperative infection.
Exposure to heavy secondhand smoke for an extended time may introduce sufficient carbon monoxide and trace amounts of nicotine into your body, resulting in impaired microvascular circulation. Thus, it is strongly advised to spend your recovery period in a completely smoke-free environment so that you can give your new contours the best opportunity for long-term survival.
Khouri, R. K., et al. (2012). Aesthetic applications of fat grafting. Aesthetic Surgery Journal.
Sørensen, L. T. (2012). Wound healing and infection in surgery: the clinical impact of smoking and smoking cessation. Systematic Reviews.
Mendieta, C. G. (2006). Gluteal reshaping. Aesthetic Surgery Journal.
Cárdenas-Camarena, L., et al. (2015). Acceptable macroscopic and microscopic survival of autologous fat grafts in an ischemic environment. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
