Should I stop multi-vitamins before my tummy tuck?

A multivitamin can help (as long as it doesn't have extra vitamin E), but more importantly, you should eat a healthy, well-balanced diet. This will provide good nourishment while you recover.If you are concerned, you should show your surgeon the supplements you take just to make sure they're okay.   

Vitamins vary greatly but will always state the amount of the vitamin in multiples of the recommended daily allowance. Although most vitamins are beneficial to healing a few interfere with the bleeding cascade. I evaluate the vitamins and medicines my patients take as well as the herbal supplements. If you are in good shape physically and nutritionally I would err on the side of stopping as vitamin e clearly is associated with bleeding. There is no short term advantage which outweighs the risks of bleeding in my opinion.

Good luck

Thank you for your question. In our office we have a list of vitamins, (vitamin E), and herbal supplements, (St. John's Wart, Fish Oil, etc.) that might cause bleeding. Much like ibuprofen or aspirin, they are to be avoided before and for a time after surgery. Certain herbal or over the counter supplements can also interfere with anesthesia. Please contact your board certified plastic surgeon, and ask what their routine is. Please make sure you ask any questions that you may have.

I frequently advise my patients to take 1-2 multivitamins a day. We are generally concerned about excessive and isolated intake of the fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E & K). Most multivitamins contian less than 400 IU. Typically less thatn 400 IU is a reasonable approach.

 I recommend that my patients take a multi vitamin daily, but check the label, as long as it is not more than 400 IU of vitamin E, it is fine. More than that could cause a thinning of the blood. You want to avoid anything that could thin the blood two weeks prior and two weeks after your surgery.

You don't need to necessarily discontinue a multivitamin before surgery unless it contains other herbal supplements which can interfere with wound healing or bleeding.  Avoid a separate vitamin E capsule, but the content of vit E in a regular multivitamin is relatively small. Your doctor should provide you with a list of medications and supplements to avoid before surgery, usually to be stoppped about ten days prior to your procedure. It's more important to stop aspirin, motrin, advil, excedrin, alleve and other anti-inflammatories which can cause bleeding and bruising.

Consult with your board certified plastic surgeon for more information.

Best wishes,

Dr.Bruno

Pro: vitamins contribute to better overall health and facilitate healing after surgery.

Con: Virtually no clinical evidence that vitamins make a difference in surgical outcomes, while vitamin E may contribute to the risk of bleeding problems. There is a wide range of supplements that have a greater risk of either interfering with anesthesia or bleeding issues, so don't forget to mention anything else you may be taking.

You should check with your doctor regarding his protocol.  In my practice I am ok with a simple multivitamin as long as the vitamin E content is not too high.

I ALWAYS require MY patients to STOP any vitamins unless I specifically OK them. With multi Vits I ALWAYS ADVISE to stop. Best of luck, from MIAMI Dr. Darryl J. Blinski, 305 598 0091

We us the Clinical Support program from Vitamedica.  We like this because it is specifically designed for pre and post surgery unlike a daily vitamin. Importantly, Clinical Support for Surgery has been specially formulated to eliminate any nutrients that may have an adverse effect on outcome. For example, the formulation does not contain Vitamin E because this fat-soluble vitamin can slow wound healing and can cause problems with bleeding.     Vitamedica Surgery Healing Program. Provides nutrients to speed patient recovery by reducing bruising, swelling and inflammation with Vitamin C and vitamin A for wound healing• Zinc for immune enhancement• Antioxidant protection for surgery• AM/PM dosing for optimal nutrition• Morning/evening formulationA Multi-Nutrient Formula