Though excessive alcohol consumption can hinder your body’s ability to heal after surgery, you can drink responsibly once you have fully recovered. However, it’s paramount to avoid liquor, beer, and wine for at least 24 hours after your breast implant surgery. Interactions between alcohol and pain medications can be risky, magnifying each other’s effects in unpredictable ways.
To prevent any unexpected side effects and ensure optimal healing, triple-board plastic surgeon Dr. Ali Sajjadian recommends abstaining from alcohol two weeks before and after your surgery.
So, should you drink after surgery? The short answer is a definitive no, but that doesn’t mean you must swear off all alcohol forever. Still, drinking before and after a major surgery can be unsafe for several reasons.
How Alcohol Affects Your Body Before Surgery
Consuming alcohol adversely affects your body in various ways. Though you may be aware of some of the health risks of excessive alcohol consumption, you may not realize it’s especially dangerous to drink before undergoing surgery. Alcohol affects the liver, kidneys, pancreas, heart, and immune system, all of which are essential for proper healing during surgical recovery.
Alcohol links to multiple post-surgery complications, including:
- Wound healing issues
- Excessive bleeding
- Infections
- Heart and lung problems
Alcohol can affect the outcomes of all types of surgeries – cosmetic or otherwise. Clinical research indicates that patients who drink heavily are more likely to experience surgical complications than casual drinkers or teetotalers.
How Alcohol Interacts With Medication
It can be especially harmful to combine alcoholic beverages with over-the-counter or prescription pain meds. The chief concern is that both substances promote hematoma, or excess bleeding. Other side effects of mixing pain meds with alcohol include:
- Ulcers
- Nausea and vomiting
- Drowsiness
- Low blood pressure
- Difficulty breathing
- Inability to operate machinery or vehicles
It’s never wise to drink if you’re on pain medication or antibiotics. For a safe and successful breast augmentation recovery, avoid alcohol until Dr. Sajjadian clears you.
Why Can’t You Drink Alcohol After Surgery?
It’s critical to avoid alcohol after surgery because drinking can increase the chance of surgical complications and negatively impact outcomes and healing. Here are six effects of alcohol after surgery.
1. Delayed Healing
When you’re recovering from an extensive surgical procedure, you want your body to be as healthy as possible. Drinking alcohol after your surgery will significantly impede the healing process. In addition, drinking alcohol links to post-surgical complications, like wound healing issues.
2. Thinned Blood
Alcohol is a blood thinner, which could lead to excessive bleeding before and after the surgery. It could also increase bruising and swelling, making your recovery longer and more uncomfortable. In general, Dr. Sajjadian will advise you to stop taking blood-thinning medication before surgery, and alcohol is no exception.
3. Increased Swelling
When you drink, your blood vessels expand, which can increase swelling and result in post-surgical complications, affecting your ability to heal and achieve optimal cosmetic benefits.
4. Harmful Reactions With Medication
Dr. Sajjadian will likely prescribe pain meds following a cosmetic procedure. However, as we already mentioned, you shouldn’t mix drugs and alcohol, as it could lead to unpleasant side effects like drowsiness, headaches, and nausea. Interactions between painkillers and alcohol can also increase the possibility of breathing difficulties or heart issues.
5. Dehydration
Alcohol dehydrates your body, robbing it of the moisture it needs during the healing process. In addition, it can make scarring more prominent, increase itchiness, and prolong your recovery. Dehydration also causes dryness that affects skin elasticity – a crucial quality after breast enhancement surgery.
6. Fatigue
To give your body the energy it needs to promote healing, you must get sufficient rest and sleep consistently. Drinking alcohol can disrupt your sleep cycle and affect your energy levels during the day.
Returning to Alcohol After Surgery
If you resume drinking alcohol after surgery, take it easy. Your body is still healing, and it’s a good idea to slowly return to regular habits and routines.
Whether you choose breast augmentation, rhinoplasty, or any other cosmetic surgery, drinking alcohol is a no-go during recovery. But when the time comes when it’s safe to have a drink, prepare for the day by including these practices in your recovery.
- Drink plenty of water.
- Eat lean protein.
- Eat fruits and vegetables.
- Avoid processed foods.
- Limit sugar and salt.
Why Dr. Sajjadian
Dr. Ali Sajjadian holds Triple Board-Certification. He is renowned as one of the country’s best rhinoplasty surgeons and offers corrective and revision rhinoplasty surgery. Plus, his talent goes beyond the operating room, for he is the current president of the Rhinoplasty Society, an organization of premier rhinoplasty specialists from all over the world.
His patients have continually shared their experience about his commitment to compassionate treatment in a stress-free environment. He takes time to educate his patients to help them make informed decision regarding their aesthetic need and treatment options. He is passionate about delivering optimal results through paying attention to details and employing the most advanced technology and techniques.
For more information regarding breast surgery, contact our Newport Beach practice online or call (949) 515-0550.