You’ve had your surgery, congrats! Now, before you can go out and show off your amazing results, you should give your body plenty of time to heal and look its best. But, what can you do in order to ensure the best plastic surgery results? Here are some post-plastic surgery healing tips for you to follow.
Listen to your doctor
First and foremost, make sure to follow your doctor’s instructions to the T. Any good surgeon and aesthetician will give you a comprehensive list of information and steps to follow, so make sure not to ignore even one of them. If you choose to neglect instructions, you could ruin your results and even put your health at serious risk.
Eat well
Cooking for yourself might be impossible for a while after the procedure, but you must find a way to provide your body with plenty of nutrients, calories and vitamins. For instance, you can prep some meals beforehand or book a food delivery service. Another very important thing that can steer your surgery in the right direction is good hydration. Water helps replenish the fluids you might have lost during the surgery and it boosts recovery. So, proper hydration is the key to the best results and painless healing process.
Take care of your skin
Some scaring is a necessary part of plastic surgery. However, even if your surgeon will do their best to place incisions in a hidden place, it’s mostly on you to make your scars heal and fade nicely. In order to ensure almost invisible scars, limit movement. Vigorous activities can cause your scars to widen and become more visible. Another thing surgeons recommend is to stay away from the sun. Harmful UV rays can cause damage to your scar tissue and make your scars more noticeable. You might want to stay away from the sun even after a light cosmetic procedure. For instance, your specialists might recommend avoiding heat after a lip augmentation procedure, so think no solariums and sunbathing. This move will prevent the risk of inflammation until the products are integrated into the body.
Do your exercises
Sure, you can’t hit the gym right after the surgery, but that doesn’t mean you can’t take a light walk around the block. What you want to achieve with your exercises is get the blood moving around your body which will boost healing. Some experts even recommend massaging the area after the procedure. For instance, some cosmetic injectors recommend light lip massages after lip injections to ensure beautiful, smooth and even lips.
Have a few helping hands
Expect to stay in bed for at least a week after major plastic surgery (tummy tuck or face lift). This means you’ll need a few helping hands to help you with your chores and hygiene needs. Having a good support system is especially important during the first 2-3 days post-surgery. At that time, you’ll not be able to do practically anything, so make sure to acquire some help. Arranging someone to pick up your kids from school and drive them to practice is also super important, since you shouldn’t be driving post-op. Another thing you can do is inform your family and friends that you’ll be incapacitated, so they don’t worry if you miss calls or ditch the plans you’ve made.
Quit smoking
Most certified surgeons and practitioners advise patients to ditch cigarettes for a few weeks before and after surgery. Nicotine from cigarette smoke can affect the way your body heals, resulting in possible complications, bleeding, more visible scarring and prolonged recovery time. You might also lay off alcohol before the surgery and during your recovery. It thins the blood and weakens the immune system which might result in healing complications.
Just relax
Make sure to take it easy during your recovery period and just relax. Let the natural healing processes take place. Rushing things will do nothing but prolong your recovery and affect your results in a negative way. Binge a show on Netflix, grab a few good books you’ve been meaning to read or just surf the Internet—this is a perfect time to have a mini stay-cation and just chill out.
If you slow down, trust your doctor and take good care of your body both from the outside and the inside, you’ll have amazing results that will make all the pain and discomfort more than worth it!