Cosmetic Surgery and Supplements

Cosmetic Surgery and Supplement Dangers:


New research has shown that taking supplements before cosmetic surgery may put your health at risk. Cosmetic Surgeons prefer patients to forgo taking supplements a couple days prior to surgery or even dermal fillers as they can cause excess bleeding, bruising or even complications with anaesthesia during the operation.

In particular, Kava, St. Johns Wart, Omega 3's Fish Oil and Valerian have all been singled out as supplements to avoid before surgery.

In addition, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) has identified the following herbal supplements as harmful during and after surgery:

Ginkgo biloba – a powerful antioxidant and concentration booster, ginkgo has been used medicinally for thousands of years. Gingko supplementation can give memory a boost, improve respiratory ailments and even reduce the effects of dementia. However, ginkgo is also an anticoagulant which can interfere with recovery after surgery.

Glucosamine – a supplement commonly found in diet pills and other weight loss supplements, glucosamine has been linked to extremely low blood sugar and can create significant problems for patients who go without food for extended periods of time during surgery.

Ephedra – though it’s been banned by the Food and Drug Administration, ephedra is still available in several diet pills and weight loss supplements. Ephedra can increase the metabolism and elevate the heart rate, but may interfere with the procedure, preventing adequate rest and healing.

Chondroitin – this supplement is commonly used amongst athletes to lubricate the joints, but can be the cause of blood complications during surgery making it difficult for patients to recover adequately.

Echinacea – this supplement can boost the immune system and prevent bacterial infections; however, it can prevent proper recovery of wounds and cuts and will interfere with the healing process.

Garlic – garlic supplements are often taken to improve cardiovascular health and reduce cholesterol levels. However, garlic can interfere with anticoagulants prescribed during recovery and can cause digestive irritation. Reducing or eliminating garlic supplementation during the surgery process is recommended.

Goldenseal – goldenseal can be used to boost the immune system and reduce cold and flu symptoms; it is often combined with Echinacea to treat coughs, sore throats and other symptoms of the flu and has both anti-microbial and relaxation properties.

If you are taking any of these supplement, please talk to your surgeon to ensure that you are taking precautions for a safe surgery and recovery period, and to reduce the risk of adverse side effects and complications.


Supplements vs Cosmetic Surgery:

There are many supplement a woman can purchase if you are looking for larger breasts and want to exhaust every option before going under the surgeon’s knife.

The breast enhancement pill industry is a lucrative one, but there are little tests or clinical trials done on many, and there are some concerns over the potency and safety of some products. Because they are sold as ‘supplements’, they are not FDA approved so checks are not made as to their safety or side effects.

One of the biggest potential hazards with breast enlargement pills are their side effects, particularly if the consumer takes them alongside existing medication. It is a myth that natural or herbal supplements are harmless – in themselves, they can sometimes be quite dangerous, and when mixed with other medications, unwanted side effects can occur. Examples are black cohosh which may negatively interact with anti-cancer drugs such as tamoxifen, lessening it’s effects, or the chaste-tree berry, which can lessen the effect of contraceptive pills. Therefore it is important if you are intending to take breast enlargement pills that check with your doctor if you are on any form of medication to ensure that there are no clashes between the two – if you are at all in doubt, we would advise not taking the breast enlargement pills.

So do the pills really work? Some natural herbal ingredients are known to contain and possess oestrogen-like effects on the body so they could, in theory, help increase breast size. Oestrogen, which is used in birth control pills, can increase breast size as it causes fluid retention in the breasts making the breast look larger and fuller, therefore it is possible that oestrogen mimics can have the same effects.

If you are looking for a way to boost your breast size without going under the knife, herbal remedies may help. However, caution is urged to ensure that they do not adversely affect your health. If you are looking for a permanent solution, breast enlargement pills are probably not the way forward as they tend to only have a short-term effect, if any. The only real solution is to have cosmetic surgery instead of supplements to increase your cup size.