Can I Use Afrin the Morning of my Mommy Makeover Surgery?

            It’s
not unusual for patients to use decongestants when they develop upper
respiratory infections. In the vast majority of preoperative patients, this
doesn’t represent a problem. Unfortunately, some decongestants can cause
significant elevations in blood pressure. This type of decongestant should be
stopped well in advance of cosmetic surgery.

            Afrin
has no effect on blood pressure or pulse rate. For this reason its acceptable
for patients who are taking Afrin to proceed with mommy makeover surgery. If
you have questions regarding this topic, make sure they’re discussed with your
plastic surgeon.  

Taking Afrin before surgery will reduce bleeding during surgery. It can also be used after surgery as well. However, it should only be used if you have extreme congestion or a lot of bleeding. Best of luck to you.

The use of Afrin before surgery is permissible and will not have any untoward affects on your surgery. That said, Afrin should only be used for short periods of time as people become addicted to it and it will fail to be effective after a time. I would recommend that you have a consult to evaluate your breathing problems as they may be amenable to a simple surgical correction.

Afrin is not a good treatment for chronic stuffy nose. In fact it makes it worse. It is great for acute chronic nasal congestion and should only be used for about 3 days.

There should be no problem using an Afrin the morning prior to surgery. You want to avoid products like Sudafed since they contain medications that may effect your heart rate during surgery.