I'm getting an upper bleph. Will arnica and bromelian help with bruising & swelling?

Thank you for your question! The short answer is that nothing has really been definitively proven to help prevent bruising. Arnica does have data that suggests it may be helpful, but the effect wasn't tremendous. We strongly urge all of our patients to refrain from alcohol consumption 1 month before and 1 month after upper blepharoplasty surgery.  In general, alcohol does several things that slows the process of recovery.  First, it dilates blood vessels which translates to more swelling.  Especially after double eyelid surgery, the main impediment to recovery is swelling.  Any factor that increases this risk should be avoided such as alcohol.  Second, alcohol is a blood thinner, which means it can increase or prolong your bruising.  Also, alcohol can lead to dehydration which can interfere with healing.  Although you are almost 3 wks out from surgery, always take a more careful and conservative approach after surgery.  

Hello! Thank you for your question! The recommendations for the use of these homeopathic medications are surgeon preference. I typically suggest the use of Arnica Montana to decrease swelling and bruising. It is an herbal medication that is propagated from the seeds of an herb. I, as well as my patients, have seen some benefit with the treatment in the postoperative period. Although there is little evidence to its effectiveness, I believe there is some benefit, and no harm. I recommend 4-5 tablets under the tongue 4x/day for 3-5 days prior and 5-7 days after the procedure. Hope that this helps! Best wishes!

Arnica and Bromelain certainly help with reducing the bruising after any surgery especially on the face.However it is more important that she do not take any medication such as NSAIDs like Motrin or Aleve or aspirin and avoid fish oil and vitamin E which can contribute significantly to bruising after any surgery.If you're interested you can breathe more details in my article below from one of my blogs on how to reduce bruising from surgery.RegardsDr. JHow
to avoid surgical bruising



There
are many ways to reduce the risk of bruising from surgery. The most obvious is the technical skill of
the surgeon who can minimize the trauma of surgery to reduce the bleeding and
bruising. As the patient you have to do
your part as well. The most common
reason for bleeding and bruising from surgery is because of medications or
supplements taken by the patient that do not allow the blood to clot in a
timely fashion.



The
category of medications called NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) is
the most common culprit. Aspirin,
Motrin, Advil, Aleve are some of the examples.
Keep in mind that even a baby aspirin can cause significant bleeding and
bruising. Then there are prescription medications such as Celebrex, Mobic,
Ultracet etc. which are also NSAIDs. The
strongest blood thinners are Coumadin, Plavix, Pradaxa, Xarelto and
Eliquis. The bleeding from these
medications can become uncontrolled and can be fatal.



There
are many supplements which can cause increased bruising. The most significant is Fish oil which is
taken very commonly and is a significant source of postoperative bruising. Vitamin E and flaxseed oil can do the same
thing.

Alcohol
intake can also increase the bruising.



So
how do we stop the bleeding and bruising from happening? Avoiding all nonessential medications for up
to 1 month before an elective surgery is the wisest thing to do. Multivitamin pill, vitamin D, and Calcium is
okay to take. Your prescription
medications approved by your family physician are okay to take. To help with the bruising you can also take
arnica pills. Icing the area for the
first 3 days is very helpful to reduce the bruising. Avoiding any heavy activity for the first few
days is helpful as it can lead to delayed bruising by increasing the blood
pressure. If you do end up getting
bruised sometimes the physician can use an IPL machine to make the bruises
disappear faster. A new over-the-counter
cream called Dermend also seems to be helpful in expediting the resolution of
bruising.

Great question, absolutely!  I usually start patients on arnica the first day post op.  Also, keeping your head elevated and icing for the first 24 hours.  Still, you need to follow your plastic surgeons recommendations for post op recovery.  These are just suggestions that may help.  Good luck

Blinded controlled studies show benefit from these medications with respect to bruising and swelling with little side effects.  If you have liver disease or heart disease you will need to discuss with your surgeon prior to use.  

 The most  accurate answer to your question is: it might help, but it definitely won't hurt. Not too muddy up the water too much, but most of the bruising is dependent on factors such as age, whether you take blood thinning medications, and how your surgeon performs the procedure.

The medications are aafe but the benefits are marginal.  The biggest things are the procedure itself, and howsmoothly it was performed, steadiness in post op blood pressure, icing postop, and underlying tendency to bruise.  I do not prescribe, but do no object to its use.

Studies have shown that Arnica Montana will potentially help to resolve bruising a little bit sooner.  It comes in many different formularies and it is important to read the instructions on whatever particular brand you obtain.  It is certainly not a magical supplement to prevent bruising however.  I would reiterate the comments of my colleagues on this thread. Try to avoid anything that might thin your blood prior to the procedure. This includes and NSAIDS like aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen, alcohol, and fish oil.  The less you bleed at the time of the surgery, the less bruising you will have.  

Yes, Arnica and Bromelain help with bruising, as does pineapple juice. However, these effects are rather minimal if not negligible. It is much more important to avoid all blood thinners (aspirin, ibuprofen, coumadin, plavix, fish oil, vitamin E, etc.) for at least 7 days prior to surgery. Your surgeon should let you know what medications those are. Obviously, if you take prescription blood thinners, it is important that you first check with the prescribing physician if it's safe to stop the medication temporarily. Furthermore, head elevation and icing for the first 24 hours post-OP are very important. Minimizing sodium intake 5 days before surgery and at least 7 days after surgery also helps to minimize the swelling. Good luck!

A published study done by Dr. Brett Kotlus in 2010 showed that arnica did not speed up the resolution of the bruising with upper eyelid surgery.   Some patients seem to think that it helps, so there is no harm in using it.  As others below have stated, the main thing is to stop beforehand any meds or vitamins that can worsen the bruising.  A lot of ice post-op for two days can also help.