{"id":27187,"date":"2024-01-17T13:23:53","date_gmt":"2024-01-17T21:23:53","guid":{"rendered":"https://www.realself.com\/news\/?p=27187"},"modified":"2024-01-18T14:29:58","modified_gmt":"2024-01-18T22:29:58","slug":"ozempic-plastic-surgery-plans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https://www.realself.com\/news\/ozempic-plastic-surgery-plans","title":{"rendered":"How Ozempic Could Affect Your Plastic Surgery Procedure"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

Featured Experts<\/strong>
Dr. Jennifer Levine<\/a>, a board-certified facial plastic surgeon in New York City
Dr. Johnny Franco<\/a>, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Austin, Texas<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

When you’re prepping for plastic surgery, it’s a big deal (not to mention standard practice) to take a close look at any supplements you take. There are some supplements that don’t mix with surgery<\/a>, since they can lead to complications, while some medications, like blood thinners<\/a>, can interfere with healing. Now you can add Ozempic, the weight-loss medication that’s become a hot topic among celebrities<\/a>, to the list of medications to stop ahead of surgery. Here’s why.<\/p>

Why Ozempic and plastic surgery don’t mix<\/h2>

It’s a matter of anesthesia. “Aspiration is a real concern with general anesthesia and is the reason that patients are told, ‘Nothing to eat or drink after midnight’ the night before a procedure,” says Dr. Jennifer Levine<\/a>, a board-certified facial plastic surgeon in New York City. (Aspiration is when food or liquid gets caught in the airway and ends up in the lungs.)<\/p>

Part of the way GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) agonists<\/a>, such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro, work to induce weight loss is by delaying gastric emptying. “The delayed gastric emptying prolongs the presence of food in the stomach, posing potential risks during general anesthesia,” says Dr. Johnny Franco<\/a>, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Austin, Texas.<\/p>

That’s because during general anesthesia, patients are put to sleep. During this time, “their muscles, including those responsible for closing valves in the stomach, become relaxed,” says Dr. Franco. “This relaxation increases the risk of aspiration, where stomach contents may enter the throat and lungs.” This, in turn, can lead to an infection called aspiration pneumonia.<\/p>

The good news is that this is only a risk for surgical procedures for which general anesthesia is nonnegotiable, like rhinoplasty, abdominoplasty, and breast reduction, says Dr. Levine.<\/p>

Interested in Ozempic?<\/small><\/div>Find Doctors Near You<\/a><\/div>
\n