6 Surgery Recovery Tips After Cosmetic Procedures

6 Surgery Recovery Tips After Cosmetic Procedures

Deciding to undergo cosmetic surgery is an exciting time in anyone’s life. You’ve chosen to feel better and look better, resulting in a boost of self-esteem and confidence. After the procedure, you’ll feel the burning desire to show off the new you and for good reason! But surgery recovery takes time, sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. And the importance of rest after surgery is vital. Cosmetic avenue wants to show you six tips on minimising your surgery recovery time and ensuring the best possible results.

Listening to Your Body During Surgery Recovery

Recovering from surgery can, in some cases, prove painful. Patients are more often than not prescribed pain-killers to deal with the recovery process. It’s the body’s natural reaction during the healing process to bruise and create swelling. Listening to these natural responses and taking your prescribed medication will avoid a lengthened surgery recovery time. Some people are inclined to ‘tough it out’, get back on the treadmill or the beach and ignore their body’s voice that can only communicate through its biological indicators (pain, bruising and swelling) but it will only digress you even further.

Movement in Moderation Promotes Healing

Some people react on the other end of the spectrum and interpret surgery recovery to be laying in bed, fueling their Netflix addiction, getting up only to pioneer the contents of the fridge. In the first 48 hours, such habits are prescribed but when you feel ready, just remember ‘movement promotes healing’. Moving around gets the blood flowing and can also result in reduced pain levels. Don’t take the encouragement of movement and translate it into performing a ten-mile hike up a mountain. Start slow, move around the house then work your way to walking around outside, all the while listening to your body and understanding your limits. We’ve found that setting a couple of alarms on your phone throughout the day is a practical way to remind yourself to get up and have a gentle stretch or a little walk.

Consult your Surgeon Before Making Major Decisions

If you are unsure of what to do in any circumstance, consult your doctor. If you have any queries or concerns about what happens next you need but ask; all your answers will be made known.

In some cases, people decide to head back to the gym a little too early. Understandably, you want to resume your previous training regime with your newly heightened confidence and motivation, but it’s crucial to check in with your doctor before any decisions are made. You could do some severe damage if you ignore protocol.

Working-out or strenuous exercise elevates your blood pressure, and it can increase bleeding, swelling and bruising. The last thing that we want is an opening of the incision, which could result in infection and the possibility of having to undergo another procedure. At Cosmetic Avenue, our services don’t end after the procedure; our follow-ups are as important to us as the surgery itself.

Having Realistic Expectations

Undergoing cosmetic surgery is a process that is highly anticipated by the individual because modifying a feature on your body is a big deal. It’s exciting, daunting, gratifying, and the expectation of the result can get in the way of reality. The results you see immediately after the surgery is not the end product. It’s essential to understand this concept going into surgery so that you are not left unsure or unsatisfied in post-surgery. Panic and stress can affect your body’s healing process.

By attaining realistic expectations before going into surgery, you will have the foresight of organisation. Having realistic expectations will help you to see that you will be immobile for up to 48 and in recovery for up to a month, depending on your procedure. You can adapt your work life, family life and social life to your realistic expectations. Organising a caretaker for the first 48 hours can prove very helpful because depending on the type of surgery, you could be unable to perform the simplest of tasks. We want every detail of your experience with Cosmetic Avenue to be a positive one, so having someone that is there for you not only physically but emotionally as well, can benefit the experience as a whole.

Being Healthy While Healing

Maintaining a healthy diet is essential to surgery recovery. Your diet must involve all the vitamins, minerals and macronutrients your body needs for your wounds to heal. This includes vitamins E, D, C and A, iron, protein, fibre and zinc. Using a dietitian or nutritionist can prove helpful as sometimes knowing how to eat right may seem unachievable.

As a general rule, smoking and drinking are not the most healthy practices. Smoking can majorly affect your surgery recovery time as it can impact your respiratory system and blood circulation. If quitting is something that you have been thinking about, what better way than to use this unique time as a stepping stone into a healthier lifestyle.

Following Post Surgery Recovery Protocol

At Cosmetic Avenue, we give our patients precise direction on how to ensure the quickest healing time. Depending on your procedure, you may be required to use ice packs, compression garments, or both. Clients that receive any facial surgery including; Cosmetic Injectables, Rhinoplasty, Facial Rejuvenation, Skin Needling, Non-Surgical Facelift, Mini Surgical Facelift, Eyelid Surgery (Blepharoplasty), Asian Eyelid Surgery, and Plasma Pen are commonly directed to apply ice to minimise swelling.

People that undergo procedures including Tummy Tuck, Breast Implants, Breast Lift, Breast Reduction, and Liposuction may be advised to wear compression garments. This also can help with swelling, bruising, skin retraction, wrinkling and even softening scars and making them less visible.

Ignoring your doctor may result in increased surgical recovery time. After making the brave decision to get cosmetic surgery, you deserve a quick and easy recovery.

Cosmetic Avenue’s Tips to a Healthy Recovery

Things to take away from this article;

• Listen to what your body is telling you; allow time to heal.
• Remember to move around but not too much.
• Consult your surgeon before making any changes to your recovery plan.
• Being healthy while healing, avoid smoking and drinking whilst maintaining a healthy diet.
• Create realistic expectations around your recovery process; don’t set yourself up for failure.
• Follow any guidance that your doctor has given you, the stricter you are on yourself during recovery, the faster you will recover.

At Cosmetic Avenue, we want this experience of self-discovery and re-awakening physically and emotionally to be special, and painless as possible. Follow this guideline to ensure a happy, healthy future with your new and improved look.