Alcohol After Surgery

May 9th, 2016 | Posted in: Plastic Surgery | Tags: post-surgery side effects, proper pain management

Alcohol After Surgery

Alcohol is a big part of American culture, and it can be tempting for many happy post-surgery patients to have a few drinks with friends after they’ve had plastic surgery — to celebrate their surgery’s success and show off their new look. Other patients may feel alcohol can alleviate their discomfort or help them sleep while they recover. (Not true. Please read on.) If you’ve recently had plastic surgery and you’re thinking about having alcohol after plastic surgery… think about the following:

Alcohol After Surgery | Side Effects

For one, alcohol can cause swelling in the nose. It dilates the blood vessels and leads to dehydration, causing the body to bloat. This lengthens the amount of time it takes for results to show and dehydration can make healing take longer. This is especially a concern for patients who have received rhinoplasty.

Dehydration also means dry skin. Dry skin can increase the chance of scarring, it can cause itching and irritation at the surgical site during recovery, and it can prolong the recovery period.

Dryness can also make skin less elastic, making surgeries where the skin is stretched like lifts, abdominoplasty, and breast augmentation more difficult for the surgeon to perform.

Alcohol thins the blood, increasing the risk for excessive bleeding during and after surgery and making recovery take more time. Doctors typically recommend that patients stop taking any blood thinners for a few weeks before and after surgery, an alcohol is no exception.

Bleeding after their procedure can make patients more prone to infection. Alcohol further opens up the blood vessels in the skin, which is what causes the redness associated with intoxication. This takes blood that’s imperative for healing away from organs and your surgical site.

Proper Plastic Surgery Pain Management

Contrary to popular belief, alcohol reduces your pain tolerance, making recovery more uncomfortable.

Plus, alcohol can have dangerous interactions with medications prescribed for you after surgery. While less dangerous side effects can include headaches, loss of coordination, fainting, drowsiness, nausea, and vomiting, side effects can be as severe as breathing difficulty, internal bleeding, and heart problems.

When choosing between alcohol and painkillers after surgery, you’ll be much happier and more comfortable taking the medication your doctor prescribed.

Alcohol decreases the effects of sedatives as well, making it more difficult for the anesthesiologist to give you the proper dose. Because of the importance of a correct dose of anesthesia, surgeons will often refuse to operate on a patient who has recently consumed alcohol, but patients are still expected to pay for the services they used and will need to schedule a new appointment.

Neglecting to tell your doctor and anesthesiologist about alcohol recently consumed can lead to waking up or experiencing a painful sensation during surgery.

Anesthesia leaves your body prone to nausea, and alcohol only worsens this effect, and makes you more prone to vomiting. Vomiting strains surgical sites, especially those on the face and abdomen. This can lead to pain, stretching, and possibly bleeding.

After surgery, eating and drinking water is very important to make sure your body is nourished and hydrated enough to heal. Nausea makes eating and drinking at all seem unappealing, and vomiting prevents your body from getting nutrition from what you what you eat. It can even dehydrate the body as you expel liquids.

Finally, the post-surgery drinks will lead to a very real hangover. Drinking after plastic surgery only combines the regular effects of alcohol with the typical discomfort and tiredness

To avoid all these side effects, doctors typically recommend avoiding alcohol for two weeks preceding and following surgery, depending on the type of surgery you’re having. Talk to you cosmetic surgeon during your consultation about how long you should abstain from alcohol, and make sure you drink plenty of water.

Keep in mind that you are following your doctor’s orders for two very good reasons: you want to avoid complications and you want to see better results faster.

Consult Your Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon Dr. Gabriel Chiu

If you’re interested in plastic surgery or other types of cosmetic procedures, don’t wait to act. Contact Beverly Hills Plastic Surgery today to schedule an appointment with experienced and board certified cosmetic surgeon Dr. Gabriel Chiu.