As Shia LaBeouf might tell you if he ever sobers up, having the occasional drink is certainly fun, but it won’t really solve your problems. In fact, if you’ve just had cosmetic surgery, that innocent margarita will probably cause you some fairly significant problems. Here are a few reasons why you should set the cocktails aside if you’ve recently had a tummy tuck (or any cosmetic surgery, for that matter).
Alcohol Makes You Swell
And not “swell” in the 1950s Father Knows Best, “Golly, that gimlet sure was swell” sense, but “swell” as in “the bloated after-effects of a hard night of partying.” If you want the most attractive results from your cosmetic surgery, lay off the booze. Have you ever known anyone whose looks were improved after a night of drinking?
Alcohol Affects Your Recovery
After surgery, your first priority should be recovery. So, anything that inhibits the effectiveness of your medications, causes excessive bleeding, and makes you more sensitive to pain should be avoided. Alcohol, as it happens, accomplishes all three of these things pretty efficiently.
Alcohol Affects Your Sleep
You might think that a nightcap can help you get a night of restful sleep, but you’d be mistaken. Sure, after a few drinks you might feel tired, but drinking before bed can disrupt your rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which is the restorative part of the sleep cycle. Poor sleep can inhibit the healing process.
C’mon – the whole point of having cosmetic surgery is to enhance your appearance, not to make yourself look like a withered ex-lounge singer. If you’ve just had a tummy tuck, set the potent potables aside for at least two weeks (or for however long your surgeon recommends). Which would you rather have: a lovely recovery, or a Mai Tai?