Patient Instructions
Aspirin & Aspirin-Related Products
Aspirin and aspirin-related products (see following list) should not be taken a week before your procedure as they increase the tendency of bleeding and therefore bruising. For this reason, it is very important that contents of any “over-the-counter preparations” be checked carefully prior to their use. Many headache preparations, cold remedies and “hangover cures” contain ASPIRIN. The chemical name of aspirin is acetylsalicylic acid.
Examples of drugs containing salicylates (aspirin) are as follows:
Alka-Seltzer
Anacin
Anahist
APC
Aspirin
BC
Bromo-Quinine
Bromo-Seltzer
Coricidin
Darvon Compound
Dristan
Ecotrin
Empirin Compound
Excedrin
4-Way Cold Tablets
Inhiston
Midol
Pepto-Bismol
Persistin
Sal-Sayne
Stanback
Theracin
Trigesic
Examples of aspirin-related products are as follows:
Anaprox
Ansaid
Arthrotect
Cataflem
Celebrex
Celecoxib
Clinoril
Daypro
Diclofenac
Dolobid
Etodolac
Feldene
Indocin
Indomethacin
Ketoprofen
Ketorolac
Lodine
Mefenamic Acid
Mobic
Motrin
Naprelan
Naprosyn
Naproxen
Nuprin
Oruvail
Piroxicam
Ponstel
Relafen
Sulindac
Tolectin
Tolmetin
Toradol
Voltaren
You can substitute TYLENOL (acetominophen) for these products if you require pain medication before surgery.
Check with your pharmacist if you are uncertain whether a medicine contains aspirin.
Herbal Medications & Nutritional Supplements
Some herbal medications and nutritional supplements may also increase bleeding or photosensitivity (i.e., sun sensitivity). Please discontinue all herbal medications and nutritional supplements a week before your procedure. In particular, discontinue use of the following medications and supplements a week before your procedure. Some of the following plant foods, such as celery, dill, fennel, may be used in moderation in your diet.
Some herbal medications that may make you bleed:
Black cohosh rhizome
Bromelain
Cayenne
Dong quai
Echinacea
Feverfew
Fish oil caps
Garlic
Ginseng
Ginkgo biloba
Horse chestnut bark
Kava kava
Licorice root
Ma huang (ephedra)
Meadowsweet flower
Wintergreen leaves
Poplar bark or buds
St. John’s wort
Sweet birch bark
Sweet clover plant
Sweet-scented bedstraw plant
Tonka bean seeds
Valerian
Vanilla leaf leaves
Willow bark
Wintergreen leaves
Woodruff plant
Yohimbe
Green Tea
Some herbal medications that may make you sensitive to the sun:
Celery
Dill
Fennel
Khella fruit
Lomatium roo
Lovage root
Parsley
Queen Anne’s lace
Agrimony
Bergamot peel
Bitter orange peel
Buttercup plant
Goosefoot
Lemon peel
Psoralea seeds
Rue leaves
St. John’s wort
Yarrow plant
Vitamins
If you are taking a routine multi-vitamin, you may continue doing so. However, if you are taking any vitamin E pills, please stop a week prior to your procedure, as this may increase your chance of bleeding.
Tobacco
Nicotine in any form, including cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco, and even transdermal patches and gum can adversely affect your wound healing. If possible, you are advised to stop all forms of tobacco 2 weeks before and after surgery, especially if Dr. Lam is performing a FLAP reconstruction (e.g., facelift, cancer reconstruction, etc.). There is a chance that you may compromise the success of your surgery if you should continue to take tobacco.
Alcohol
Abstain from any alcohol consumption 72 hours at a minimum prior to your procedure.