Have had 2 breast surgeries, resulting in C-diff post-op. I would like to get a facelift - are antibiotics required?

I believe if you have your facial surgery in a licensed, accredited surgical center using proper sterile techniques an anti-biotic would not be required. Please consult with a board certified plastic surgeon and confirm that your procedure would be done in a licensed facility and good luck.

Thank you for your questions. In general, most surgeons recommend a minimum of a dose of IV antibiotics at the time of surgery as this has been shown to decrease the risk of infections postop. However, every decision comes with risks and benefits and if those doses of medication have resulted in C-diff, maybe it is the lesser of two evils to skip the antibiotic or choose a different one, or pre-treat with another one to prevent the C-diff. This would obviously require a conversation with your plastic surgeon to discuss the risk/benefit ratio.
Good luck!
Dallas Buchanan, MD
VIVIFY plastic surgery
Tampa, FL

The answer will vary by surgeon , but the risk of an infection after facelift is extremely low, and I personally do not use antibiotics . Theinfection rate has only been 1 in a thousand in my experience. I do routinely use one dose during surgery which should not put a person at risk for C. difficile..