Is turmeric a natural healer after breast augmentation? I heard that turmeric can make for a speedy recovery!

Turmeric is a very useful herb, but not around surgery because it does tend to thin the blood and may increase bleeding. I ask my patients to hold off taking herbs two weeks prior to surgery and for a week after to minimize the risk of bleeding.

For our breast augmentation patients, we tell them to be off their herbal supplements for around 1 week prior to surgery. There are some herbals, like tumeric, that may actually cause bleeding problems during surgery. Patients can usually resume these types of meds around a week after surgery, assuming normal healing. It is best to follow the advice of your board certified plastic surgeon. 

Hello and thank you for your question. Turmeric and many other herbal remedies are proposed to decrease inflammation after surgery. Having said that, there is no strong scientific evidence behind this and some of the herbal supplements can actually increase the bleeding risk post op. You should talk to  your plastic surgeon about this. Best,

Pejman Aflaki, M.D.

Johns Hopkins-trained double board-certified plastic surgeon