Aspirin Before Surgery
Preparation for surgery is essential to make the post-operative course for patients easier and safer. Both pain and risk of complications can be reduced if you follow doctors orders before and after your surgery. Here is one of my top recommendations prior to surgery on our Do and Don’t list for our patients (other surgeons may have different recommendations). It is important for patients to follow whatever instructions their chosen surgeon provides.
Discontinue taking all aspirin and NSIDs, such as Ibuprofen, before surgery. Both of these drugs affect platelet function in the blood. The result is a reduced ability to clot the blood when tissue is divided (cut) in surgery. This can lead to unwanted bleeding and bruising after surgery. These effects last for two weeks. Therefore, I recommend that patients stop taking these medications two weeks before surgery.
Most surgeons give their patients detailed written instructions before surgery. Read All Your Materials. We provide our patients with comprehensive before surgery instructions, after surgery instructions, a list of medications to avoid, and the surgical consent. Go over the documents a couple of times and make sure you understand everything. If you have questions, call or make an appointment and get all your questions answered. A well-informed patient is a goal that we strive for, because even cosmetic surgery is still surgery.
Surgery is by and large safe. However, complications are always a risk with any surgical procedure. You can help in reducing your post-operative risks by following a few simple recommendations before surgery. Detailed Before and After Nipntuck Instructions are included on our site. Please use our search function for our instructions and a Q&A for a specific procedure.
