When Can One Drink After a Rhinoplasty?

There should not be any problem with moderate drinking a few weeks post-op as long as you are no longer taking narcotic pain medication

Since you are three weeks out, you should be fine now. But I always tell my patients - everything in moderation. Do it some, if it is not causing a problem you can do it a little more.

Usual guidelines are for patients to cease alcohol intake for 1 week before and 1 week after surgery, because alcohol acts as a blood thinner and can cause bleeding and swelling. From one week after your surgery many surgeons allow up to one standard glass per day. Alcohol can also cause the nose to swell more and patients should be mindful that excessive alcohol can cause increasing swelling in the nose.

It should be quite okay to have a few beers on your birthday which will be around your 5 months post-op. Alcohol can increase swelling and slow down healing but a moderate amount a few months after your surgery should not do any harm. Hope this helps,Ali Rıza Öreroğlu, MD FEBOPRASEuropean and Turkish Board Certified Aesthetic, Plastic and Reconstructive SurgeonIstanbul, Turkey

Thanks for the question. I advise my patients to stop drinking alcohol three days before their rhinoplasty surgery also you should stop taking any medications such as  Aspirin and Vitamins. Therefore you should consult with your surgeon for a reminder form before surgery. I wish you all the best.

Once you are no longer taking narcotic pain medication, it is ok to consume some alcohol. I would advise light alcohol use in the early (after at least 7 full days) post operative stage (a glass of wine for example) for those who want to drink. Keep in mind that some people get "puffy" with alcohol, in which case you may want to avoid it. By 4 months you should be fine to enjoy a couple celebratory birthday drinks. Avoid bumping your nose! Salud!

We may allow our patients to resume moderate alcohol consumption around two weeks postoperative. Hope this helps. Dr Joseph

When patients undergo rhinoplasty surgery, safety should be
everyone’s first priority.For this
reason, we recommend that patients not drink alcohol for at least one week
following rhinoplasty surgery. Alcohol can
cause dehydration which can significantly increase the potential for
complications following rhinoplasty.When
patients resume alcohol consumption, it’s important that they drink in
moderation.In addition, alcohol should
never be mixed with narcotics or sleeping pills.

It may be safe for you to drink 4 months after your surgery, but you should ask you surgeon for their advice as they may have different guidelines.

If you are three weeks out from your procedure and you are no longer under the influence of pain medication, there should be no harmful effects of consuming alcohol. That being said I would recommend responsible drinking since too much could lead to you accidentally falling and damaging your nose.