Many patients ask us if there are any vitamins or supplements we can recommend that will speed up healing after surgery. Arnica and Vitamin E seem to be the current favorites.

A recent study showed 55% of cosmetic surgery patients use herbal medications or supplements compared to 24% of the general population.

The official word is out on many of these remedies because hard science is hard to come by. And there is a tendency to believe that these supplements are gentle and natural when many of them are quiet potent and potentially harmful if taken around the time of surgery. The non- vitamin group including Ginko, Ginseng, Ginger, and Green Tea can increase chances for bleeding after surgery. Others can affect blood pressure or heart rhythm during anesthesia or potentially react with other medications. And, these preparations are not regulated by the FDA, so you can’t be exactly sure what you’re getting. So, you should always inform your doctor of your supplement intake and generally stop these preparations 2 weeks before surgery. This is true of over-the-counter medications as well.

But, there are some recent studies that do suggest that Arnica Montana taken by mouth is effective in reducing postoperative swelling and bruising for a number of procedures including cosmetic facial surgery. This may help speed up recovery in the first week after surgery. And there did not appear to be any unwanted side effects. So, Arnica can be cautiously recommended after facial surgery.

Vitamin E, on the other hand, doesn’t have the same record. Some studies find it helpful while others find it harmful, and about 5% of people can get a nasty rash from Vitamin E cream, especially if taken in its natural form. So, we don’t recommend it.

We’ll give you lots more details about this topic during your consultation. 

About a year ago, the makers of Botox came out with their new filler, Juvederm. And in an interesting marketing ploy, they allowed physicians from around the country to treat 10,000 patients with Juvederm for free who had previously been treated with Restylane. The idea was that it would get their name out there and allow doctors experience with the new product.

In this way, the makers of Juvederm believed that they would by year end probably get 10% of the injectable filler market which was largely dominated by Restylane. The result: by year end it appears that Juvederm had captured some 25% of the patients who were getting injectible fillers.

You might be wondering, so what does this all mean?

If you are one of the one million Americans who used injections to smooth out wrinkles, nasolabial folds, or to plump up lips, you probably have come to realize that there are very few substantive differences between these 2 products. They are both transparent gels made of hyaluronic acid, a complex chain of sugar molecules, which is found naturally throughout the body in skin and joints. Unlike Botox, which works by temporarily paralyzing the muscles underlying wrinkles, these injectables temporarily fill out depleted areas, adding volume to the skin. And whether you got Restylane or Juvederm was probably the result of some preference your physician had.

Of course, this may all change with the introduction into the market in the near future of more permanent fillers like Artefill (keep an eye out for Aquamid).

But it also leaves us wondering if the makers of Restylane will return the favor when they introduce their new Botox- like product- Myobloc- late this year.