Duration of Smoking Cessation and Its Impact on Skin Flap Survival

Abstract

Smoking irreversibly increases the risk of flap necrosis in a random pattern flap out to 2 months of preoperative cessation. Preoperative smoking does not result in any necrosis of pure axial flaps. In axial with random component flaps, significant decreases in skin flap necrosis are not seen until 4 weeks of preoperative cessation.