Are you scheduled for Botox? Say no to alcohol
If you have ever had an appointment for any form of surgery, be it medical surgery or plastic surgery, you will be aware that the doctors and surgeons always advise you to refrain from eating or drinking for approximately 12-24 hours before and after the surgical procedure. It all comes down to the surgery that you are having. There are many reasons this is advised, but the main reason is due to potential safety concerns for both yourself and your doctor.
While the run-up to your scheduled botox appointment doesn't mean you will have to avoid food, it does come highly recommended that you avoid alcohol. The same goes for any medication such as aspirin, or products that contain aspirin, ibuprofen, Alleve®, Motrin®, and the majority of over the counter analgesic medications other than Tylenol®. This is because alcohol and many of these medications will thin the blood, which increases the likelihood of you receiving something known as botox bruising.
Why can't you drink alcohol before a botox appointment?
It's important that you do not drink alcohol before any botox appointment, as besides the obvious side effects that alcohol can cause, it will also thin your blood. This means that there is far more likelihood of you experiencing botox bruising. If you have a tendency to bruise easily, then avoiding alcohol will at least ensure that any bruising that does appear is kept to an absolute minimum. The alcohol should not effect the outcome of your results, providing you choose a reputable, trusted and experienced botox practitioner such as a skilled independent nurse prescriber, but it will increase any bruising around the treated areas. Therefore, in order to ensure you can begin enjoying the fantastic results as soon as possible, and with minimal bruising, we would most definitely advise that you do not consume alcohol in the lead up to your botox treatment - or any treatment where bruising or bleeding are potential side effects, for that matter.
Alcohol will dry out your skin
One of the negative side effects that alcohol can cause is dry skin, especially if consumed quite excessively. Dry skin is likely to result in cracks forming, and if you're scheduled for a botox appointment then dry, cracked skin is only going to hinder the appearance of your final overall results. Scheduling a botox appointment is all about enhancing the appearance of your skin, helping you and your skin appear fresher and younger. Having dry skin should surely be something you're eager to avoid, especially on the day of your botox appointment, and during the healing stage that follows.
Alcohol will thin your blood
One relatively well known side effect of consuming alcohol (besides the lack of balance and boost in confidence!) is that it will thin the blood. It's the reason we bleed quite heavily if we cut ourselves or find ourselves involved in an accident while alcohol is in our system. It's also the reason that you're advised not to consume alcohol in the lead up to having a tattoo. The same goes for your botox procedure, as you should avoid consuming alcohol due to the natural thinning of the blood that is caused. Ideally, this should be 24 hours before your procedure at the very least, but if you're able to avoid wine throughout the entire week beforehand, even better! You shouldn't expect to experience any heavy blood loss during the procedure as only a tiny needle is inserted into the skin, but as we mentioned before, thin blood can potentially increase the bruising. Following your botox treatment we really want any bruising to be kept to an absolute minimum, and when our clients follow this request it usually is very minimal indeed, allowing you to enjoy the results of the botox instead of worrying about when the bruising will begin to subside.
Why can’t you drink alcohol after your botox appointment?
This is really down to the exact same reasons as to why you should avoid alcohol before the treatment. Your skin and any treated areas will be healing during the hours and days immediately following your botox procedure. During this time, the areas will still be susceptible to bruising, and thinning the blood with alcohol or indeed medication is likely to increase that bruising effect. If this happens, it will mean that you will experience a longer time of recovery, as the bruising will require extra time to subside than that of a client who does not experience such bruising.
Alcohol could increase any risks of swelling
Alcoholic consumption will result in the widening of your blood vessels, which can cause swelling and then lead to all sorts of additional complications. The botox procedure is of course very straight forward, and one of the most common anti-aging procedures across the world, so provided you choose an experienced nurse or doctor then you should experience no real problems whatsoever, but avoiding alcohol altogether around the time of your treatment will at least ensure you really are minimising any potential negative effects.
If you are considering an anti-aging treatment to improve the appearance of your skin and combat any fine lines and wrinkles, then botox anti-wrinkle injections could be the procedure you're looking for. Roisin, our independent nurse prescriber, is highly experienced and extremely knowledgable when it comes to botox and all anti-aging treatments, so to discover the options that are available to you please do get in touch with us today. You can call us on 01873 851441, e-mail us at info@allureaestheticsltd.com, fill in our convenient online contact form or pop into our bespoke skin care clinic in the charming market town of Abergavenny, South Wales.
