Can One Safely Take Fish Oil and EFA Pre and Post Op Facelift?

Short answer: NO !

Omega 3 fats (e.g. fish oil, EFA, flax seed oil, Krill oil), NSAID's (aspirin, ibuprofen, naprosyn), Vitamin E, "blood thinners"  and a whole host of supplements and medicines can cause excessive bleeding and bruising and therefore increase your recovery time. When in doubt stay away from supplements unless they are designed for surgery. I  offer to my patients specific supplements that speed healing, reduce swelling, bruising and in some cases minimize discomfort (for example Bromelain,  Arnica Montanum, and Vitamins designed for surgery.These are available through our office so if you are having problems finding them give us a call .

Bottom Line: Certain vitamins and minerals can speed healing others can cause problems and slow the process down or cause complications. If healing is going well I usually let my patients go back to their usual regimen of supplements.

Definitely not. Fish oil, omega 3, flax seed oils reduce your ability to form a blood clot, thus cause increase bleeding. This can be very hazardous for a facelift patient. The result can be bleeding under a skin flap and resulting scarring or deformity. None of the above should be taken for at least two weeks before cosmetic surgery of any kind. These are valuable nutrients, but not before surgery. 

Avoid anything that prolongs blending time such as aspirin, Advil, Aleve, ibuprofen, vitamin E, multivitamins with E, salmon, garlic capsules, or herbs prior to surgery. Procedures can be very challenging for your surgeon when patients are bleeding excessively. This is a great question about an important issue. Thank You.