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.  

Thank you for the question.

There should be no problem  with the use of this medication on the morning of surgery.

Best wishes.

 I routinely use Afrin during rhinoplasty surgery and see no reason to not use it on the day of your surgery.

Yes,  if you were my patient I would let you use Afrin the morning of  surgery. There is no surgical reason not to use it. Afrin can be addictive and you really  should try to find something else to help your symptoms.

Prolonged use of your Afrin - Oxymetazoline hydrochloride may be addictive and result in rebound congestion. It may be easier for you to try and kick this habit rather than trying to manage it after the surgery.

From a purely surgical point of view, your nasal spray would not materially affect your operation. But your recovery may be a bit more complicated if you have serious nasal congestion.

There should be no side effects of using your afrin nasal spray prior to the mommy makeover surgery. However, have you discussed with your plastic surgeon whether perhaps you might have a structural problem, such as a deviated septum or enlarged turbinate that could be fixed at the same time? A simple internal nasal exam will address that issue.