When should I stop drinking alcohol before having revision of upper eyelid surgery?

All types of alcohol should be considered "blood thinners," as they can affect platelet function, which are the cell portions in our blood responsible for starting coagulation. As a rule of thumb for all medicines that affect platelets, such as aspirin, alcohol, etc. you will need a two-week holiday from them before surgery, as the life of a platelet is about 14 days.Most surgeons don't have any problem with a little bit of bleeding, but in a situation where you're having an elective surgery, it is not worth even flirting with it. You would not want your ultimate end result to suffer.To ensure you are receiving the highest level of care, seek out a modernly trained, new-school dermatologic surgeon, oculoplastic surgeon, facial plastic surgeon or plastic surgeon who is board certified and fellowship trained in one of these "core four" cosmetic specialties.Cameron Chesnut#realself500 Physician

Red and white wine can affect platelets and lead to increased bruising.  We ask patients to avoid wine for several weeks before surgery for this reason.  Moderate consumption of other forms of alcohol is probably okay.  Moderate consumption to my thinking is not more than 3 one ounce alcoholic beverages in a week or less.  If your idea of a drink is a beverage with 3 ounces of alcohol- that's not moderate consumption.  Ultimately carefully follow the pre-surgical directions of your surgeon.

should be determined by your surgeon.  In my practice, I have no problems with patients having a glass of wine or 2 the night before surgery as long as they are normal metabolizers of alcohol and aren't getting inebriated.  Pilots only need 8 hours before flying... its no different for my patients.  And with smaller procedures such as yours, it really shouldn't matter.  And if you're worried, you can always take arnica to help offset whatever minimal effects metabolized alcohol could have on you.

It is a good rule of thumb to stop any alcohol consumption
approximately 1 – 2 weeks prior to any surgical procedure. It can act as a blood thinner which can increase your chances of bleeding and bruising. In addition, you want to maintain a
good hydration level and drinking alcohol can dehydrate you. 

Dear Jan Nagele, This is something you can ask your surgeon at your pre-operative appointment and see what time frame he/she recommends as well as your amount of alcohol consumption. In my practice I have a preoperative appointment typically two weeks prior to surgery to review everything the patient needs to know before and after their procedure. Best regards, Michael V. Elam, M.D.