How to Prepare For Breast Surgery Learn to Follow Instructions!

If you are planning to undergo breast surgery in the near future, your Honolulu plastic surgeon will provide you with specific instructions you must follow in order to ensure a safe and a successful surgery. Read on for important considerations for breast augmentation surgery.

Limit Alcohol Use
It is advisable that alcohol use should be limited completely in the weeks leading up to the surgery, or at least reduced to a bare minimum. There should be no alcohol whatsoever in the system for 24 hours before the surgical procedure. The reason for the limitation is that alcohol affects the functioning of the liver, and the liver must be in top notch condition in order to allow for the clotting of blood after the breast augmentation surgery.

Monitor Drugs that Interfere with Blood Clotting
There are specific drugs that can interfere with the body’s ability to coagulate (or clot) the blood. This can lead to an increase in bleeding during or immediately following the surgery, which can make it problematic to control. The risk to the safety of the patient can be high in these incidences.

For this reason, the drugs listed below should not be taken for at least fifteen days preceding the date for the scheduled surgery. Inform your medical doctor of any intake in the event that any of these drugs are a necessity for your health. Your honesty is paramount in this situation. The doctor can make modifications until after the breast surgery procedure has been completed.

• Aspirin (aspirin derivatives) – Aspirin, as well as the great majority of over-the-counter pain relievers, should be avoided. These products include Advil (Ibuprofen), Aleve, Alka-Seltzer, Motrin, Anacin, Indocen, Nuprin, Relacen, Bufferin, Ascriptin, Coricidin, Cheracol, Sine-Aid, Midol, Excedrine, Empirin, Sine-Off, Percodan and Vanquish. Be aware that Tylenol and Extra-Strength Tylenol do not interfere with the body’s blood clotting action.

• Antihistamines- These include products such as Sudafed and Pseudophedrine Hydrochloride.

• Diphenhydramines- These products include Benylin syrup, Benadryl and Ambenyl.

• Other types of drugs that do not fit into these categories but should be avoided include Chlorpromazine, Nitrex, Sedormid, Stibophen, Digoxin, Thorazine, Furadantin or Nitrofuration, derivatives of Quinine, Carbenicillin, Ponstel, Geocillin, Persanthine, Butazolidin, and Phenylbutazol.

Better to be Safe than Sorry
To be on the safe side, when you schedule your appointment for breast augmentation surgery with your Honolulu plastic surgeon, inform the doctor of any and all drugs you are taking. Even if you only occasionally take a supplement for a headache or upset stomach, let him know. This also goes for any vitamins or nutritional supplement you are taking (in particular St. John’s Wort). Your honesty and candor translate directly to a safer breast surgery for you.

Your safety is a top priority to the plastic surgeon. If he is not aware of all of the drugs you are taking, complications could arise during the breast surgery that could have easily been avoided. Bleeding problems could put your health and your life in jeopardy, not to mention the fact that there could be interference in relation to the surgical medications.

Other Important Points to Bear in Mind
Vitamin E is a very strong anticoagulant that inhibits the clotting protein production work done by the liver. Therefore, if you take this vitamin, you should discontinue consuming Vitamin E for at least three to four weeks before breast augmentation surgery, preferably more.

Patients who are on cortisone treatment should make their Honolulu plastic surgeon clearly aware of this fact. All types of cortisone treatment should be stopped several months before the breast surgery is to take place.

The patient is free to resume taking the drugs that they normally take two weeks after the breast surgery has been completed.

Smokers must cease their nicotine habits for a number of weeks preceding the breast surgery. Smoking can slow the healing process after the breast augmentation surgery. There is also less of a concern about lung problems following the surgery if the patient gives up the habit beforehand.

If you smoke marijuana or other types of hallucinogenics, you must give up the habit weeks before you have the surgery, for the same reasons that smokers must give up the habit. If you are taking any type of drug, illegal or legal, make sure that you are completely honest with your Honolulu plastic surgeon. The success of your breast surgery depends upon your candor.

Healing Recommendations
The best Honolulu plastic surgeon recommends that it is beneficial for the breast implant patient to increase her dosage of Vitamin C to 500 mg twice a day in the weeks preceding the surgical procedure. An extra dose of vitamin C will reduce the amount of bruising and will also thicken the wall of the capillaries. This is particularly important for patients who smoke or drink alcohol on a regular basis.

Do not shave your underarms for 10 to 14 days before the breast surgery, which will prevent nicks, cuts or ingrown hairs that could easily house germs. On the day of the procedure, wash the underarms gently but thoroughly with a mild soap. Then, as carefully as possible, shave your armpits.

About the Author

Learn more about the advanced breast augmentation methodologies utilized by Honolulu's best plastic surgeon, Dr. Rizzo, who has decades of trail-blazing expertise in Hawaii plastic surgery.