Ibuprofen and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications have many advantages following surgery. They help to diminish the post-surgical inflammatory response that prolongs the pain and swelling after the trauma of surgery, and they are synergistic with (or may eliminate entirely) the use of narcotic pain medications.
Although they should be avoided before surgery, there is no reason why they cannot be used after surgery. By this point, there should be minimal risk of surgical bleeding, and any risk of increased bruising is purely hypothetical. I have used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications in my post-op breast augmentation patients as well as liposuction patients, with no noticeable worsening or prolongation of bruising.
I find it advantageous to wean patients off narcotic pain medications as quickly as possible, to avoid dependence issues as well as constipation. There may be a slightly higher risk of gastric irritation with the non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, but this is more than balanced by the positive effects.
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