Recovering From Plastic Surgery

Plastic surgery doesn’t end the minute a patient is released from the hospital or surgical center. A patient also needs to allow herself time to fully recover from the procedure. The length of recovery and what a patient needs to do depends on the type of procedure she had performed. For example, recovery time for injections is considerably shorter and less involved than recovering from a face lift or liposuction.

Listen to Your Surgeon

One of the best things you can do after surgery is follow the advice of the plastic surgeon. Your surgeon will tell you what medications to take to ease pain and swelling after the procedure and which activities you need to avoid. It’s absolutely essential that you take her advice, as taking certain medications, such as aspirin, after a surgery, can put you at increased risk. Performing an activity that your surgeon advises against can lead to to injury.

Certain procedures require certain treatments afterwards. For example, surgery on the face might require you to apply ice afterwards to bring down swelling. You might also need to keep your face elevated after a neck lift to keep swelling down.

Be Realistic

Sometimes, things look worse before they look better. That is definitely the case after most plastic surgery procedures. Your body  needs time to heal and recover. It’s likely that there will be bruising and swelling after the surgery. What’s important is that you manage your expectations and avoid worrying that you don’t look the way you realistically expect to right away.

Take Care of Things Before the Procedure

To aid your recovery, you might consider taking care of certain details from your personal life before the surgery. For example, make sure all of your bills are up to date. Arrange for a babysitter for any children or pets. You might also need to get a friend, caregiver or relative to help you out in the days immediately following the surgery. Take time off from work so that you aren’t stressed.

Remember to Follow Up

One mistake patients often make following plastic surgery is to skip or cancel their follow-up appointments. These appointments are an essential part of the healing process. Even if you feel great, still check in with the surgeon from time to time. She is trained and able to detect small problems that you might not even notice. If caught early enough, small complications and issues can be corrected before they become major problems.

The above items are only designed to help answer a few of the many questions a patient should ask when it comes to cosmetic surgery.