Post Plastic Surgery Vitamins for Healing

I used to be a nutritionist and prior to this operation read up on which nutrients and in what doses would help you to heal fastest, lowering the chance of infection and minimising scars. I will post here what supplements I am taking and why, although I place a disclaimer on this saying please check with your health professional first, as these may not be suitable for everybody.


One month Pre-surgery and Post surgery Supplements
(IMPORTANT: STOP all supplements except Arnica 1 week before your operation)


Arnica 30C 1 tablet 3x daily - to promote bruise healing and reduce swelling. This is homeopathic and though I am sceptical about homeopathy I am willing to try anything which is safe and will speed up the healing process. By the way the doctor's surgery also recommended I take Arnica.


Vitamin E 500-800iu per day - anti inflammatory, promotes wound healing and tissue formation. If you have never taken vitamin E start with 100iu only and increase by 100 iu every 2 days until the maximum of 800iu is reached. Do NOT take with any blood thinning medications.

Vitamin A up to 1000iu per day - important for cell regeneration and healing, increasing immunity, and binding of cells to each other after surgery. This is a fat soluble vitamin which builds up in your system so it is important not to exceed this maximum dose.

Zinc 80mg per day - good to take a supplement which combines zinc with copper as these work together. Needed for immunity, proper cell division and wound healing, reducing scar tissue.

Bromelain 1000mg per day - this has been shown to reduce inflammation and swelling post surgery.

Vitamin C - up to 10g per day, yes that's 10,000 mg, after surgery. Before surgery only 3g/3000mg per day. This will greatly reduce your chances of infection and reduce bruising, while speeding up healing and is an anti inflammatory. If you can find a supplement which also contains Bioflavonoids that is great as these work well together and the bioflavonoids are anti-inflammatory. Please note each person's bowel tolerance of vitamin C is different, and you may find this gives you the runs.

Vitamin K 100 micrograms daily- is used in the body to promote normal blood clotting. This is important to make sure that you heal properly after the operation as your body will have undergone quite a bit of trauma. Do not combine with any blood thinning medications.

Flaxseed oil 3 Tablespoons daily - this is an essential fatty acid which is essential to proper healing of any kind, and is a powerful anti-inflammatory. Take it straight, from a refrigerated bottle. This type of oil does not make you put on weight as it is involved in all of your metabolic processes so your body uses it up.

Calcium 1500mg Magnesium 750mg - these are minerals essential for tissue regeneration and ideally taken in a 2:1 ratio.

B Complex supplement - this is essential for proper cell and tissue division and all of your metabolic processes, a good thing to take at any time. A brand I like (though am not endorsing this) is BioCare One a Day Plus, as I think it has high levels of all the necessary B vitamins as well as much more. You have to be careful though with a multivitamin that you don't exceed your doses of other vitamins, especially A, E and K, as the multi will contain some of these also. So if necessary, lower your doses of the other vitamins.

A UK website I used to order all of these supplements, which I found reasonably priced and had a great range is www.nutrisun.co.uk (again I am NOT endorsing the site, just informing you that I found everything I needed on it.)

Lastly I ordered some Arnica gel to rub on the surgery area (not on the wounds though) to reduce bruising and swelling. The brand I bought is Dr Vogel.