I get asked all the time now with marijuana being legal, do I have to stop it before plastic surgery?
Yes.
I wrote a blog a while back looking at the few studies out there. There were studies which showed strokes and other things associated with pot use. The studies were few, nonspecific- amount, strength, THC vs CBD, route of administration. But given so many of my surgeries depend on blood flow to heal, particularly the flap surgeries like breast lift, breast reduction, facelift, and tummy tuck, every little bit more of blood flow lowers risks of complications. Even for smaller surgeries, blood is needed to heal to form pretty scars and fight infections.
As time has gone on, more research is being done, and marijuana is not the innocuous thing many portray it to be. I’m not here to be your mom. But there are real effects.
I was reading the news today and saw a study out of Denmark with a splashy headline, “Medical Marijana Use Linked to 74% Increased Risk of Heart Rhythm Disorders in a Hospital Study.” Wowsa. That is a headline. It is also deceptive, as the rates were low. It looked at 4931 patients, matched for age/gender/pain diagnosis to non users. They were followed for 6 months. Median age was 60. These were medical prescriptions for cancer, arthritis, pain, etc. The change went from 0.49% to 0.86%. That is a relative risk of 1.74, but the absolute numbers are tiny. Splashy headline for what it really was.
But in the article, it linked to a Stanford study (go Stanford! where I trained for my residencies), and that research I found more compelling.
The Stanford study showed
- People who use marijuana have an increased risk of heart disease and heart attack
- THC caused inflammation in the cells that line blood vessels and cause atherosclerosis in lab mice
- To quote them “Our studies of human cells and mice clearly outline how THC exposure initiates a damaging molecular cascade in the blood vessels. It’s not a benign drug.”
Researchers analyzed genetic and medical data of 500,000 people aged 40-69. Of these, 35,000 smoked marijuana, and of those 11,000 smoked more than once a month.
Findings?
- More than once a month smokers were significantly more likely to have a heart attack. (They controlled for age, BMI, sex)
- More likely to have first heart attack before age 50
In another study, they looked at inflammatory markers in blood of volunteers who smoked marijuana
- Inflammatory markers increased significantly over the 3 hours after smoking
- THC in the lab promotes inflammation and hallmarks of atherosclerosis in human endothelial cells
- Lab mice developed significantly larger atherosclerotic plaques when injected with THC levels = to smoking one marijuana cigarette a day compared to controls.
- This may be due to THC binding to a receptor called CB1 found in the brain, heart, and blood vessels. When CB1 is activated inappropriately, it is associated with inflammation, obesity, cancer, and diabetes.