Is It Bad to Drink Alcohol While Healing from Blepharplasty?

Using alcohol is moderation following eyelid surgery should not interfere with healing or the result. However, using alcohol is contra-indicated if you are taking any prescription pain medication following surgery.  I have many patients who use little or no pain medication and prefer to have a glass of wine with dinner.  In over 20 years I have never seen any problems regarding this personal choice that patients make.  It is always best to check with your own physician who is more familiar with any other medications you may be taking.

To the point...NO! There are several good reasons including an increased risk of bleeding and possible dangerous medication cross reactions. Please follow the instructions of your surgeon, I'm sure they would prefer you not to drink this soon after your surgery.

 

Unfortunately eyelid surgery must be performed on human beings.  When someone asks me if they can have a drink while healing from eyelid surgery, I get concerned.  The reason I get concerned is that there is a big difference from having a cocktail with one ounce of hard liquor and finishing off the bottle of hard liquor.  I really don't want to be a police man.  However, for all the money and effort that went into the eyelid surgery, I can't take the risk of someone over doing it.  Rather than leave anything to chance, it is just much simpler to say: please do not drink after surgery.  So please do not drink after surgery.

It is not a good idea, especially when taking medication and during the healing process. It's VERY important to follow pre and post instructions.

"Dr.D"

First, you should not drink while on postoperative pain medication. Liquor is a vasodilator and, as such, will delay the healing from your procedure so I do not recommend that patients imbibe for at least two weeks postoperatively. That said, Happy Thanksgiving!