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When Can I Have Blepharoplasty After Being off Accutane?

asked 3 years ago by pudgie68 in Chino Hill, CA
Latest answer by Kris M. Reddy, MD, FACS
Question viewed 1,933 times

I am a 36 year old female. I have been taking Accutane for about one and half months and will stop taking it at the end of 2 month, early to mid March.

I am considering having both a Blepharoplasty and Rhinoplasty done in mid or late August. Is that enough time to wait since I was not on Accutane for a long period of time? I've been wanting to do these procedures for a very long time and this may be the only opportunity for me to do so.

18 answers to When Can I Have Blepharoplasty After Being off Accutane?

Accutane and surgery

Accutane should typically not interfere with the surgeries you are contemplating after a period of 6 months to one year. The main reason Accutane is dangerous is for laser resurfacing; the laser is very prone to burning the skin of patients who have recently undergone Accutane. The pilosebaceous units have been dried up from laser and the heat from the laser tends to be absorbed by other adjacent tissues, causing burns. Accutane may also inhibit reepithelialization. Better to wait six... more

Brent Moelleken, MD
Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

www.drbrent.com

Wait 6 months to a year after Accutane

If skin rejuvenation is part of the treatment plan, better to wait a year. Accutane can inhibit wound healing, due to its direct effects on dermal appendages that help to heal skin after injury or surgery.

Richard Gentile, MD
Cleveland Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.facialplastics.org

Blepharoplasty After Accutane

Ideally, you should be off accutane 12 months prior to surgery. Consult with 2 -3 board certified plastic surgeons in your area to see if it would be possible to proceed before this time.

Kris M. Reddy, MD, FACS
West Palm Beach Plastic Surgeon

www.drkrisreddy.com

Accutane, How Long to Wait

Accutane is a very powerful drug and one I highly recommend for anyone getting acne scars. It is, however, known to greatly affect the skins ability to heal from certain injuries. Healing from abrasions, laser resurfacing, and chemical peels is very much a problem while on and for many months after accutane use becuase accutane greatly reduces the number of epidermal cells available to re-cover your skin's surface. Incisional surgery is different. The healing... more

Louis W. Apostolakis, MD
Austin Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.dr-apo.com

Wait 12 months after Accuatne to have blepharoplasty or any elective incisional surgery

Accutane inhibits the growth of sebaceous cells in the skin appendages. These cells are required to produce the new skin cells which are necessary for healing any skin incision or skin wound. Therefore, after taking Accutane the ability of your skin to heal is compromised. No one knows for certain how long the Accutane effect lasts, but most authorities recommend waiting a year for elective surgeical procedures that require skin healing

Brooke R. Seckel, MD
Boston Plastic Surgeon

www.drseckel.com

At least 3-4 month

It is probably best to be off Accutane for at least three to four months prior to embarking on eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty) or nasal surgery.

William Portuese, MD
Seattle Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.seattlefacial.com

Blepharoplasty 12 months after Accutane

As an opthalmologist and oculo plastic surgeon, I suggest that you consider waiting 12 months. This will allow your body to recovery from dryness and delayed wound healing brought on by Accutane use.

Jonathan Hoenig, MD
Beverly Hills Oculoplastic Surgeon

Accutane can significantly effect wound healing

Accutane significantly effects woound healing as it effects the appendages in the skin. Most recommend being off it for at least 6 months, but I would recommend beinf off it for a year. It can cause dry eyes, and you want the effects of it completely gone before having a procedure. It is best to wait to achieve the best results possible.

Benjamin Schlechter, MD
Reading Plastic Surgeon

Your schedule should be fine

The schedule that you have outlined is a reasonable one for your use of Accutane and proposed Blepharoplasty or Rhinoplasty. Six months after discontinuing your treatment, you should be ready to go. Good luck!

Kenneth R. Francis, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Better to wait least 6 months after Accutane

The consensus regarding this issue is that Accutane impairs healing and that one should wait at least 6 months. However, there are no good studies or evidence backing this waiting period regarding eyelid surgery or rhinoplasty and Accutane. The thickness of the skin and the location of the incisions may also be important factors in the length of this waiting period. However, It is always better to error on the side of caution.

Daniel Reichner, MD
Newport Beach Plastic Surgeon

Get clearance from your treating ophthalmologist before Blepharoplasty

Accutane is know to produce a dry eye. You are still early in your treatment with the Accutane, and it is possible that your treating dermatologist will recommend extending your treatment course. Generally, the dry eye symptoms improve a couple of months after the Accutane treatment. However, there are reported cases of severe dry eye following Accutane treatment that lasted for two years. For this reason, blepharoplasty should be postponed following your course of Accutane until your... more

Kenneth D. Steinsapir, MD
Los Angeles Oculoplastic Surgeon

Blepharoplasty too soon after Accutaine can pose a risk

Pudgie68, Accutaine is very serious medication and in the Chicago area where I practice dermatologists are very careful and selective in its use. If you do a quick search or read the product package insert you wil see plenty to scare even the most corageous. Accutaine and its side effects deserves our respect. There is a body of literature in plastic surgery, particularly concerning dermabrasion, laser surfacing, and peels, but also with skin wounding and skin flaps which caution firmly... more

Peter E. Johnson, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Off Accutane for at least 6 months before any surgery

Accutane inhibits epithelialization by suppressing adnexal structures. Thus, invasive surgeries are contraindicated during Accutane therapy. I regularly manage patients requesting surgery while on Accutane. I advise patients to wait 6 months after cessation of any amount of Accutane before undergoing any surgery. Thus, the ability to heal will be re-established. This holds true, especially for blepharoplasty and rhinoplasty, two very important parts of the face.

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD
Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

Your schedule is reasonable.

For the procedures that you are having done, Accutaine is not an important factor. It does not interfere with regular wound healing. Accutaine is a huge factor if you were having dermabrasion or laser resurfacing, because Accutaine interferes with new skin regeneration.

George J. Beraka, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Best to be off Accutane at least six months

As a general rule I don't perform surgical procedures on a patient unless they have been off of Accutane for at least six months. Accutane may cause problems with wound healing.

Amir Moradi, MD
San Diego Facial Plastic Surgeon

Don't rush into surgery after Accutane

In general, you should wait at least 6 months to a year after taking Accutane to have elective surgery - especially on the face. However, some recommend even waiting up to three years. Unless there is some urgency for your surgery, it would be best to hold off. It would be a shame to have an unfortunate outcome on an elective procedure. Good luck.

David Shafer, MD
New York Plastic Surgeon

At least 6 months off Accutane before Blepharoplasty

The general recommendations are to be off Accutane for ATLEAST 6 months prior to having any surgery or cutting on the skin. Some say you should be off of it for a year prior to undergoing any elective surgery. Just remember, this is an elective surgery and you want to be certain that any factors that can affect your surgery are not in the equation. Also make certain that you are seeing a board certified Plastic Surgery. Hope that helps.

Farbod Esmailian, MD
Orange County Plastic Surgeon

Have Blepharoplasty after few months

Accutane is a very powerful medication that inhibit skin regeneration. The general recommendation is to be off accutane for one full year for resurfacing procedures. For a blepharoplasty or rhinoplasty, there is minimal underming and no need for skin regeneration. I would wait for few months for the general effects of the drug. It is wise to include some liver function tests as well.