Drinking Alcohol Before and After a Hair Transplant Procedure?

This question comes from a member of our [tag]Hair Loss[/tag] Social Community and Discussion Forums:

I recently scheduled my [tag]hair transplant[/tag] procedure and was told by the surgeon not to drink alcohol seven days before and several days after my procedure. Is this accurate? How does alcohol usage affect the [tag]hair transplantation[/tag] process?

Let me begin by stating that you should always follow the pre-operative and post-operative instructions provided by your [tag]hair restoration[/tag] clinic. The operating surgeon has likely spent many years creating and adjusting his/her surgical instructions, and following the clinic’s advice will help prevent any potentially harmful mistakes.

Because alcohol thins the blood and can interfere with anesthesia (though this is less of a concern in modern [tag]hair restoration surgery[/tag]), your surgeon probably does not want you to drink before the procedure because of potential bleeding complications.

Anecdotally, I’ve heard Anesthesiologists recommend that 2 days of zero alcohol consumption is enough time to clear the system, but, again, if your [tag]hair restoration surgeon[/tag] said not to drink for seven days before the procedure, I would follow his/her instructions.

Additionally, although alcohol is generally known for dilating (widening/allowing more flow) peripheral blood vessels, it’s actually been shown to constrict the flow of blood to areas like the head/scalp (though the instantaneous and changing patterns are difficult to comprehend), which is not advantageous to proper healing after a hair transplant procedure. Because of the dilation/constriction issues and the potential for excessive post-operative bleeding, most [tag]hair transplant surgeons[/tag] recommend zero alcohol consumption for 3 days after the operation.

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Blake Bloxham – formerly “Future_HT_Doc”

Editorial Assistant and Forum Co-Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Hair Loss Learning Center, the Hair Loss Q&A Blog, and the Hair Restoration Forum

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