Medications to Avoid Before Cosmetic Surgery
June 23, 2014

medications that can cause bleeding during surgeryWith today’s ever-expanding world of health supplements, pills, and drinks, it’s becoming harder and harder to know what to avoid before cosmetic surgery or injectable procedures. Nearly every health supplement on the market will cause a blood thinning effect similar to over the counter NSAID medications like aspirin and ibuprofen, so we recommend that our patients stop taking everything except Tylenol and any necessary prescriptions for at least one month prior to surgery. We used to believe that a period of two weeks was enough to dissipate any blood thinning effects, but recent experience has taught us that there are some obscure health supplements that may still have effects on bleeding even longer than that. Here is a list of the most common trouble makers that everyone should avoid prior to surgery or advanced injectable procedures:

  1. NSAID’s. Aspirin, Motrin, Aleve, Ibuprofen, Naproxen, Mobic, and any medication containing any of these common stand alone NSAID’s can cause serious bleeding during surgery. If you need to take any of these regularly because of arthritis or other types of chronic pain, speak to your doctor about switching to Celebrex prior to surgery. Celebrex may control your joint pain just as well without the bleeding risk, so it’s worth inquiring about it.
  2. VITAMINS AND HERBALS. We used to itemize the list of herbals that can be an issue, but the list is now too long for that to be an option. If you want to be safe, just stop all of your vitamins and herbals one month before surgery.
  3. GREEN TEA. This is a big one to avoid. Green tea is a very powerful blood thinner and should be avoided in all forms, even simple ones like Snapple and other brand name drinks. Green tea extract is particularly powerful, and is an ingredient in many vitamin preparations and herbal remedies.
  4. RED YEAST EXTRACT. This is another very powerful blood thinner that is important to avoid. If you follow the above instructions about not taking any pills other than your necessary prescription medications, this should be a non-issue, but if you attempting to be selective about what you are going to stop taking, anything that includes Red Yeast Extract is an absolute no-no.
  5. ASHGAWANDHA EXTRACT. This is one of the most powerful herbal blood thinners that I have seen, and it’s blood thinning effects are present for a very long time after the last dose. You need at least one month off of this extra to be safe for surgery, but with the powerful effects I’ve seen first-hand, I would recommend even longer.
  6. HERBAL TEAS. Most herbal teas contain at least one of the above ingredients, and many of them contain several of these. If you drink tea regularly, this could certainly cause enough of a blood thinning effect to be problematic.

If you have any questions about preparing for cosmetic surgery, or about a medication in particular, please give us a call at 917-703-7069, or send us a message by clicking here.

Nicholas Vendemia, M.D.
Plastic Surgeon New York
MASNewYork.com
917-703-7069

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Photo Credit: Manhattan Aesthetic Surgery LLC

The Tell-Tale Signs of a Good Facelift
July 10, 2014

best facelift surgeons in new york

The unusually high number of consultations we’ve had for face and neck lift procedures in the hot summer months leads us to believe that we’re doing something very right in the facial rejuvenation world, so we thought we might share with you our thoughts on what makes a facelift “good”.

The traditional facelift season is in the wintertime when the cold makes it easier to stay inside and lay low for a while, so the rising popularity we’ve seen outside of this usual season has us feeling very confident about the way we handle surgical facial rejuvenation.

Keep reading to learn more about the tell-tale signs of a good facelift…

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The No Touch Technique for Breast Augmentation: the new gold standard
October 12, 2014

Keller Funnel No Touch Breast Augmentation by New York Plastic Surgeon Dr Nicholas Vendemia of MASHere at MAS, we are committed to innovation and advancement in breast augmentation surgery, and we thought that it would be prudent to introduce you to what we feel is becoming the new gold standard for breast implant insertion: the No-Touch Technique utilizing the Keller Funnel.

The Keller Funnel is a specialized polymer sleeve used to insert implants of all types into the body without actually having to touch the implant or expose it to potential contaminants on the skin surface, the operative field, or from the air. The sleeve allows the implant to be transferred directly from it’s sterile container through the incision with minimal exposure to it’s surroundings, and also allows for a near-frictionless insertion that minimizes stress on the implant and the incision.

The No-Touch Technique offers the highest possible level of sterility and safety, and we are proud to offer this technique to our exclusive breast augmentation clientele. Keep reading for more information and a video demonstration of the Keller Funnel in action.

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Don’t Delay Removing PIP Breast Implants
March 11, 2015


PIP breast implants Many of you will remember the recent scandal brought on by French breast implant maker Poly Implant Prosthese (PIP) when the company was disbanded and the executives jailed over their unethical practices of using non-medical grade silicone to manufacture their silicone breast implants sold throughout the world.

It is estimated that 30,000-40,000 women received PIP breast implants that may have caused, or may be causing, unknown and possibly dangerous side effects because of the likely contamination of the silicone gel used in these implants. When the story broke, we received quite a few calls from understandably worried women who wanted to know how they could tell if they had PIP implants, and what they should do about it if they did. We removed quite a few pairs of these implants during that time period, and helped several of these women deal with complications like severe capsular contractors, recurrent seromas (fluid collections), and PIP breast implant ruptures, but since that time we’ve noticed a dropoff in both the frequency of these calls, and in the sense of urgency on the calls that still come in.

If you or anyone you know had breast implants place in any country other than the United States in the past 20-25 years, please keep reading for an important reminder about the dangers of PIP implants, and why you should be concerned even if you aren’t sure if you have them…

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What kind of anesthesia is best for liposuction?
April 28, 2015

anesthesia for liposuctionOne of the most common questions we receive in our office is “What type of anesthesia is best for liposuction?”

This is a very important question because there are a variety of options available for a variety of reasons, not all of which have safety and comfort at the top of the priority list. That’s not to say that the more expensive option is always the better option because that’s not always true, but your decision about which anesthesia method to select should not be based on price alone, nor should it be based on the myth that local anesthesia is always the safest method (this is also not always true). The best anesthesia for liposuction should provide a good balance between cost, comfort, safety, and affording your surgeon the ability to do the best job he can so you get the best result possible.

The best anesthesia method will allow all of the above to be possible, so there is no need to cut corners as long as you have the facts. Keep reading to learn more about the anesthesia options for liposuction and other cosmetic procedures…

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