Taking time to heal can help maximize results from your plastic surgery. Providing your body with the rest and care it needs may help reduce complications. Your plastic surgeon can provide detailed instructions specific to your procedure. Here are a few ways to navigate the recovery process after plastic surgery:
Follow Postoperative Guidelines
Surgeons provide instructions on caring for surgical sites to reduce complications. This may include instructions on how to clean wounds, change bandages, and apply ointments. Following these guidelines keeps healing on track. Caring for your body can help reduce irritation that may interfere with restful sleep. Avoiding certain foods and activities also supports healing. After procedures like a breast augmentation or liposuction, wear proper compression garments to promote circulation and lymphatic drainage.
Prioritize Restful Activity
Restful nights allow the skin time to regenerate fresh cells. Taking a break from exercise or heavy lifting prevents straining incision sites made during tummy tucks that are still knitting together. Focus on giving your body time to heal by engaging in activities like reading, watching movies, or relaxing.
Eat Nutrient-Rich Meals
Providing your body with healing food supports repair after surgery. Proteins from lean meats, fish, beans, and nuts give your cells the building blocks to generate fresh tissues. Vitamins and minerals in fruits and vegetables help strengthen your immune system. Antioxidants lower inflammation. You can also incorporate healthy fats like avocados and olive oil. Drinking plenty of water keeps you hydrated, which is key for wound healing and detoxing after anesthesia. Nutrient-rich meals give your body the fuel for recovery.
Manage Pain Effectively
A plastic surgeon prescribes pain medication to keep you comfortable during those initial days of recovery. They should be taken as directed. Over-the-counter options also help alleviate minor discomfort. Ice packs reduce swelling and tenderness. Taking proper steps to reduce inflammation and pain in the first few days after surgery will promote better healing.
Avoid Smoking Tobacco
Chemicals in cigarettes constrict blood vessels needed to deliver oxygen and nutrients to healing tissues. Smoking can cause poor wound healing and future scarring. Nicotine products also compromise immune system functioning, leaving your body vulnerable to infections. Individuals should also avoid secondhand smoke exposure.
Monitor Infection Symptoms
Watch your incision sites for increasing redness, swelling, heat, pain, tenderness, or drainage and report these to your surgeon right away. Early intervention helps prevent infections from progressing into more severe complications. Delayed treatment risks damaging surgical results. Monitor your body’s responses so that infections can be addressed fast.
Understand Healing Expectations
Varying surgeries have different anticipated healing phases. Depending on the invasiveness of the surgery, you may deal with swelling, bruising, or itchiness over the course of several weeks or months. Eventually, the scars will start to soften, and the incision sites will become less red and inflamed. Understand how long it takes for breast implants to drop into proper position or for liposuction skin to smooth as swelling dissipates. Talk with your plastic surgeon about realistic timelines for healing so that you can plan accordingly.
Engage a Plastic Surgeon Today
Meetings with your plastic surgeon allow them to track your progress and answer your questions. Surgeons are able to identify potential problems, such as infections, quickly. Make sure you attend all of your follow-up appointments to verify that your face, body, arms, or legs are healing properly. Start your search for a reputable plastic surgeon to learn more about your desired surgery and the recovery process.