Necrosis of skin graft entailed by smoking habits

Adequate healing of surgical wounds is influenced by the operative technique, the presence of postoperative complications and the patient's life habits. We report the case of a patient submitted to excision of basal cell carcinoma by Mohs micrographic surgery and reconstruction with palpebral cutaneous grafting. In the postoperative period there was graft necrosis due to poor perfusion of the surgical bed imputed to smoking. Smoking interferes with plasma embolization and graft neovascularization, as well as promoting oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction. The surgeon should counsel the cessation of smoking for at least four weeks prior to the procedure in order to avoid further risks of complications.

Keywords: Carcinoma, basal cell; Graft survival; Mohs surgery; Necrosis; Smoking