How strict is the prep for rhinoplasty?

Each surgeon has their own protocols on which herbal supplements to hold and for how long. A variety of herbal supplements increase bleeding, such as Vitamin E, fish oils, Omega 3’s, Gingko Biloba, St John’s Wort, Ginseng, and Capsicum. I recommend stopping them 2 weeks before surgery, so their effects on bleeding are completely gone. If you do take these supplements even once in this time frame, you would be at increased risk of bleeding, which could ruin your aesthetic outcome or lead to prolonged swelling/bruising.

Herbal tea thins the blood which may complicate your surgery. Blood thinning increases the risk of excess bleeding during the operation. which is dangerous. The same thing applies to green tea and blood thinners such as aspirin. We recommend our patients discontinue these 10 days before their scheduled surgeries. Discontinue smoking at least 10 days before and after your surgery as well as it significantly delays the healing time. Hope this helps.

Supplements to avoid before rhinoplasty : Many herbal supplements can significantly increase operative and postoperative bleeding . these should be strictly avoided for approximately two weeks before and two weeks after surgery . your surgeon will provide you with a list of supplements that have this affect. Also the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Advil, Motrin, aspirin, etc. also have this effect and must be avoided for the same period of time.