What is NAD+ and why is it used in plastic surgery?

NAD+ is a co-enzyme that enhances cellular energy production, DNA repair, and healing, making it useful before and after plastic surgery.

What is glutathione and how does it support healing?

Glutathione is a tripeptide antioxidant that reduces oxidative stress, supports immune response, and promotes tissue regeneration.

What are the benefits of IV glutathione after surgery?

It aids in faster recovery, reduces inflammation, and improves tissue healing outcomes post-operatively.

What are amino acid infusions and why are they important?

Amino acid infusions deliver essential nutrients for collagen production, muscle recovery, and immune support.

Which amino acids are used in plastic surgery recovery?

Arginine, Citrulline, Lysine, and Proline are used to promote collagen formation, reduce inflammation, and speed wound healing.

When should IV amino acids be administered after surgery?

Typically starting around day 3 post-op to support the proliferative and remodeling phases of wound healing.

How do IV infusions enhance post-surgical outcomes?

They improve immune function, reduce scarring, and accelerate recovery, enhancing overall aesthetic results.

IV Infusions for Plastic Surgery Recovery with NAD+ & More

How IV Nutrient Therapy Enhances Healing After Cosmetic Procedures

In recent years, intravenous (IV) nutrient therapy has gained momentum in plastic surgery as a novel adjunct to enhance post-operative healing, reduce inflammation, and support overall tissue recovery. Among the most promising agents are NAD⁺ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide), glutathione, and amino acids—each playing a critical role in cellular metabolism, detoxification, and tissue regeneration. These biologically active compounds, when administered through IV infusion, are being explored for their ability to accelerate recovery, minimize complications, and optimize surgical outcomes in aesthetic procedures. This article reviews the science and clinical potential behind these targeted therapies, with a focus on their use in both the pre- and post-operative phases of plastic surgery.

What is NAD+ and why do we use NAD+ in plastic surgery?

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is a co-enzyme essential for cellular functions such as energy metabolism. The more innate NAD+ you have, the more efficient your mitochondria are (and as a result, all the mitochondrial functions such as energy regulation, DNA repair, and cell signaling).¹ As a result, IV infusion of exogenous (supplemental) NAD⁺ has gained popularity both before and after surgery to help support optimal conditions for wound healing.

What are the benefits of NAD+ infusions?

Improved Muscle Function and Post-Operative Recovery: NAD+ is essential for muscle function and recovery. In terms of application for aesthetic plastic surgery procedures, IV infusion of NAD+ has been proposed both pre-procedure to prime cells for optimal response to surgery, as well as post-operatively to improve healing and cellular regeneration.²

Cellular Energy Production: NAD+ is a vital coenzyme involved in cellular energy production, particularly within the mitochondria, the cell’s powerhouses.

Anti-aging: There is also growing evidence that NAD+ decline plays a critical role in the biology of skin aging. DNA damage and genomic instability are key features of skin aging due to the continued exposure of the skin to UV radiation. Aged skin demonstrates mitochondrial dysfunction, and decreased function of fibroblasts and keratinocytes. A plethora of evidence demonstrates that decreased cellular levels of NAD+ is a hallmark of aging. Maintaining high NAD+ levels may be critical to improving dermal integrity and decreasing skin fragility.³ More recently, NAD+ has been proposed as a concentrated topical application to improve healing post-operatively, as well as injectable in combination with aesthetic procedures such as microneedling and micro-coring (i.e. Ellacor).

What is the science behind NAD+?

There is evidence to show that oral NAD in human trials to not only be safe but to decrease inflammatory cytokines.⁴ As a result, many in the medical community believe that IV NAD⁺ infusion may enhance mitochondrial function and cellular energy production, reduce inflammation, and contribute to anti-aging benefits—ultimately supporting improved recovery and increased energy levels.

What are the uses of NAD+ in plastic surgery?

Due to its anti-aging properties, NAD+ has been proposed as a concentrated topical application to improve healing post-operatively, as well as injectable in combination with aesthetic procedures such as microneedling and micro-coring (i.e. Ellacor).

In terms of application for aesthetic plastic surgery procedures, IV infusion of NAD+ has been proposed both pre-operatively to prime cells for optimal response to surgery, as well as post-operatively to improve healing and cellular regeneration.⁵

What is glutathione? Is it a peptide?

Glutathione is a water-soluble tripeptide, a small protein made of three amino acids: cysteine, glutamate, and glycine. Glutathione is a potent antioxidant, and acts as a free radical scavenger and a detoxifying agent.⁶

What is the role of glutathione in wound healing?

Antioxidant Defense: Glutathione neutralizes harmful free radicals to prevent cell damage because it is a potent antioxidant.⁷

Immune System Support: Due to the protective properties against oxidate stress, glutathione supports the immune system by protecting immune cells.

Tissue Building and Repair: Glutathione supports the regeneration of damaged tissues by promoting cellular repair processes, enhancing fibroblast activity, and reducing inflammation—making it likely beneficial during the wound healing phases following surgery.

What is the science behind glutathione?

Prolonged glutathione infusion appears to protect the heart and blood vessels from damage caused by oxidative stress and inflammation, helping to prevent poor healing and harmful changes to the heart’s structure. This has been demonstrated in human randomized clinical trials in patients receiving heart stents after heart attack: it was shown that glutathione decreased the body’s inflammatory response and improved heart muscle function.⁸

Glutathione has been demonstrated in vivo studies to promote wound healing and tissue repair in diabetic wounds.⁹ Diabetic wounds have lower levels of glutathione in the wound edges, and topical administration of glutathione decreases inflammatory markers and speeds up the wound healing process.

What are the uses of IV glutathione in plastic surgery?

Because glutathione is one of the most potent antioxidants, intravenous infusion of exogenous glutathione is increasingly used in plastic surgery for its therapeutic roles in supporting the immune system and promoting tissue repair—both before and after aesthetic procedures.

IV glutathione aids in wound healing and reduces inflammation, with the goal of accelerating recovery during the critical immediate postoperative period—particularly within the first 72 hours and up to one week, depending on the surgeon’s protocol.

The ultimate objective is a faster, smoother recovery.

What are amino acid infusions?

Amino acid infusions provide a direct and highly efficient way to supply your body with amino acids, the essential building blocks of protein. This process involves administering these vital nutrients directly into the bloodstream through an IV line, completely bypassing the digestive system.

This bypass is key, as it helps ensures rapid absorption and supports immediate utilization by your body’s cells. Rather than relying on the slower, less consistent process of digestion, amino acid infusions make these critical components more readily available for functions like muscle repair, energy production, immune support, and overall cellular health and wound healing.

What are the benefits of amino acid infusion?

Supports a Stronger Immune System: Amino acids are fundamental for building proteins, which are essential for healthy immune cell function and the production of infection-fighting antibodies. Surgical intervention causes an immune response, and amino acids produce a more robust defense against illness and protect the body postoperatively.

Helps Optimize Muscle Growth and Recovery: Amino acids play a vital role in muscle protein synthesis, helping to increase muscle mass and significantly speed up recovery after physical activity or injury, such as surgical procedures.

What is the science behind amino acid infusions? What amino acids do you recommend with IV infusions?

Our IV infusions of amino acids include: Arginine; Citrulline; Lysine; and Proline.
Arginine is a special type of amino acid. While our bodies can usually make it from another substance called citrulline when we’re healthy, there are times when we might need to get it from outside sources, which is why it’s called “conditionally essential.”
Research has shown that arginine plays many important roles in the body. It helps boost our immune system, influences the release of hormones, and improves how our blood vessels function.¹⁰ It also helps produce another important amino acid called proline. These benefits have been observed in both animal and human studies.¹¹
Cirtulline acts as an anti-aging amino acid by decreasing inflammation.
Recent studies have shown that citrulline has some exciting anti-aging properties.¹² It seems to work by slowing down how quickly our cells get old and tired, protecting our DNA from damage, and keeping our cells from stopping their normal growth. It also helps control how certain immune cells (called macrophages) process energy, and it can calm down inflammation that’s linked to aging.
Research shows that Arginine and Citrulline work well synergistically.₁₃
Lysine supports protein synthesis and growth: Lysine is like a key building block for all the absolutely vital proteins in your body, necessary for repairing muscles and other tissues that are manipulated during surgical intervention.
Lysine supports collagen formation,¹⁴ a protein that gives skin its firmness and elasticity, and is essential for wound healing post-operatively.
Proline is a key ingredient for building strong collagen, which is the most common protein in your entire body.
Collagen is the main structural support for many tissues in the body.
Proline’s role in collagen production makes it crucial for tissue repair and wound healing.
The collagen that proline helps produce is what gives skin its structure and keeps it elastic, helping it look firm and healthy.
Proline speeds up wound healing and thus is super important for repairing damaged tissues and helping wounds heal quickly and effectively after surgical procedures.

What is the role of amino acid IV infusions in wound healing?

When you have surgery, your body goes through a lot of stress. This stress, along with the anesthesia, can cause your body to start breaking down muscle. Think of it like your body is in a “catabolic” state, meaning it’s losing muscle protein.

However, studies have shown that getting proper nutrition around the time of your surgery (before and after) can really help. This “perioperative nutrition” has been seen to have positive effects, essentially helping to counteract that muscle loss and support your body’s recovery.

Literature supports the IV infusion of amino acids perioperatively during elective surgery as a practical measure to prevent muscle loss that happens with general anesthesia/surgical intervention.¹⁵

What are the uses of IV vitamins and amino acids in plastic surgery?

Amino acids play a critical role in collagen synthesis and are essential for effective wound healing.
IV infusion of amino acids is used in plastic surgery to support immune function and facilitate tissue repair following aesthetic procedures. As the fundamental building blocks of proteins, amino acids contribute directly to cellular regeneration and collagen production.
IV amino acid supplementation may be particularly beneficial in the post-operative period, beginning around day 3, when the body enters the proliferative phase of healing. During this phase, fibroblasts lay down Type III collagen as a scaffold for new tissue.
As healing progresses into the remodeling phase—beginning around week 2 and continuing for several months—amino acids remain essential for the replacement of Type III collagen with stronger, more organized Type I collagen.
Timely and efficient collagen formation supports faster wound closure, reduced recovery time, and improved surgical outcomes.
Proper collagen remodeling may also help reduce the risk of complications such as wound dehiscence, hypertrophic scars, and keloid formation.

For these reasons, IV infusion of amino acids—often combined with supportive vitamins—is considered a valuable adjunct in the early and intermediate post-operative period to optimize healing and enhance aesthetic results.

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[2] Conlon NJ. The Role of NAD+ in Regenerative Medicine. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2022 Oct 1;150(4 Suppl ):41S-48S. doi: 10.1097/PRS.0000000000009673. Epub 2021 Sep 28. PMID: 36170435; PMCID: PMC9512238.

[3] Conlon NJ. The Role of NAD+ in Regenerative Medicine. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2022 Oct 1;150(4 Suppl ):41S-48S. doi: 10.1097/PRS.0000000000009673. Epub 2021 Sep 28. PMID: 36170435; PMCID: PMC9512238.

[4] https://cdn-links.lww.com/permalink/prs/f/prs_150_4_2022_09_01_conlon_soa3-22-007_sdc1.pdf

[5] Conlon NJ. The Role of NAD+ in Regenerative Medicine. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2022 Oct 1;150(4 Suppl ):41S-48S. doi: 10.1097/PRS.0000000000009673. Epub 2021 Sep 28. PMID: 36170435; PMCID: PMC9512238.

[6] https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-drug/def/glutathione

[7] Exner R, Wessner B, Manhart N, Roth E. Therapeutic potential of glutathione. Wien Klin Wochenschr. 2000 Jul 28;112(14):610-6. PMID: 11008322.

[8] Tanzilli G, Arrivi A, Placanica A, Viceconte N, Cammisotto V, Nocella C, Barillà F, Torromeo C, Pucci G, Acconcia MC, Granatelli A, Basili S, Dominici M, Gaudio C, Carnevale R, Mangieri E. Glutathione Infusion Before and 3 Days After Primary Angioplasty Blunts Ongoing NOX2-Mediated Inflammatory Response. J Am Heart Assoc. 2021 Sep 21;10(18):e020560. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.120.020560. Epub 2021 Sep 17. PMID: 34533039; PMCID: PMC8649545.

[9] Xie J, Liu X, Wu B, Chen B, Song Q, Guan Y, Gong Y, Yang C, Lin J, Huang M, Tan X, Lai R, Lin X, Zhang S, Xie X, Chen X, Zhang C, Yang M, Nong H, Zhao X, Xia L, Zhou W, Xiao G, Jiang Q, Zou W, Chen D, Lu D, Liu J, Bai X. Bone transport induces the release of factors with multi-tissue regenerative potential for diabetic wound healing in rats and patients. Cell Rep Med. 2024 Jun 18;5(6):101588. doi: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2024.101588. Epub 2024 May 22. PMID: 38781961; PMCID: PMC11228591.

[10] Arribas-López E, Zand N, Ojo O, Snowden MJ, Kochhar T. The Effect of Amino Acids on Wound Healing: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on Arginine and Glutamine. Nutrients. 2021 Jul 22;13(8):2498. doi: 10.3390/nu13082498. PMID: 34444657; PMCID: PMC8399682.

[11] Campos A.C.L., Groth A.K., Branco A.B. Assessment and nutritional aspects of wound healing. Curr. Opin. Clin. Nutr. Metab. Care. 2008;11:281–288. doi: 10.1097/MCO.0b013e3282fbd35a.

[12] Xie Z, Lin M, Xing B, Wang H, Zhang H, Cai Z, Mei X, Zhu ZJ. Citrulline regulates macrophage metabolism and inflammation to counter aging in mice. Sci Adv. 2025 Mar 7;11(10):eads4957. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.ads4957. Epub 2025 Mar 7. PMID: 40053596; PMCID: PMC11887811.

[13] Tsuboi T, Maeda M, Hayashi T. Administration of L-arginine plus L-citrulline or L-citrulline alone successfully retarded endothelial senescence. PLoS One. 2018 Feb 7;13(2):e0192252. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0192252. PMID: 29415069; PMCID: PMC5802914.

[14] Svotin AA, Taldaev A, Nikitin ID, Korochkina MD, Terekhov RP, Selivanova IA. Insights in wound healing properties of water-soluble composition of dihydroquercetin and L-lysine. J Pharm Pharm Sci. 2025 Mar 12;28:13831. doi: 10.3389/jpps.2025.13831. PMID: 40144465; PMCID: PMC11936752.

[15] Church DD, Schutzler SE, Wolfe RR, Ferrando AA. Perioperative amino acid infusion reestablishes muscle net balance during total hip arthroplasty. Physiol Rep. 2021 Sep;9(18):e15055. doi: 10.14814/phy2.15055. PMID: 34558214; PMCID: PMC8461212.

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IV Infusions for Plastic Surgery: NAD+, Glutathione & Amino Acid Healing