Complications after skin cancer surgery may be more common in smokers and former smokers, a US study suggests.

For the study, researchers examined outcomes for 1008 patients who had Mohs reconstruction with flaps or grafts, including 128 current smokers and 385 former smokers.

Compared with people who had never smoked, current smokers were more than nine times as likely to have complications, such as infection, haematoma, uncontrolled bleeding or dead skin tissue.

Ex-smokers were more than three times as likely to have these acute complications.