When can I drink alcohol after surgery?

Your Surgeon and MYA healthcare team will advise you when exactly it is safe for you as an individual to consume alcohol again following surgery.

Let's not forget about prior to surgery, it is advisable not to drink alcohol for a minimum of 48 hours before your surgery. However, if you have more than 2-3 drinks daily, it is advised you do not drink alcohol for a minimum of two weeks before surgery.

There are three reasons it’s best to avoid a glass of wine or a cheeky cocktail after surgery:

• Alcohol can slow the healing process down as it thins your blood. This means that bleeding (if it happens) can be prolonged by drinking, and it can have an effect on your autoimmune system, which may struggle to fight infection.

• Your medication can be affected by drinking. After surgery, there’s a good chance you’ll be given antibiotics or painkillers. However, mixing these with alcohol can lead to nausea, headaches, drowsiness, fainting and vomiting.

• Alcohol raises the chance of swelling. It widens your blood vessels, making it a lot more likely that swelling will be more obvious, and take longer to recover. It’s particularly noticeable if you’re having a procedure like rhinoplasty, as the nose is filled with blood vessels.

Failure to comply with all of the pre and post-surgical instructions provided by MYA and the surgeon is a breach of our terms and conditions.