Yes! Cigarette smokers, malnutrition problems, and other medical conditions such as uncontrolled diabetes that prevent proper healing can present high risk for infection and non-healing. Once these conditions are controlled, surgery can be performed. We require a patient to stop smoking at least 4 weeks before the surgery and to not smoke or use nicotine products until fully healed which can take up to 3-6 months.
Malnutrition is a major concern in the gastric bypass patients. Protein stores and hematocrit levels of the blood must be in a normal range so the body has the optimal ability to heal. We check the blood values for all patients prior to surgery.
If we find a patient to be malnourished, we recommend a dietician to work with the patient to reach optimal levels, so surgery can be preformed with less risk.
Diabetes is a medical condition that causes problems with infection and successful healing. Depending on the severity and control of the diabetes, we may not be able to perform cosmetic surgery.
