Being a cosmetic surgery patient can be a fun, exciting yet scary thing all at the same time. A lot of emotions can arise when considering cosmetic surgery. Emotions and questions that you never expected to have during your initial consultation. As cosmetic surgery professionals, it is our job to educate you on what to expect during your recovery. By doing this, we instill confidence in you and by informing you about what to expect, it doesn’t seem so scary!
Below are the 3 best things to do during your recovery from facial plastic surgery. These are helpful tips that we’ve learned over the years that can help any patient regardless of the surgery they have:
Be Realistic
Depending on what procedure you are having, there can be a variety of outcomes depending on your goals. It’s is important for patients to know that when having cosmetic surgery, there will be mild pain involved. The first night after surgery will be rough but it will seem like you’re in a fog due to the anesthesia (you may not remember much) but when you wake up the next day, you will be uncomfortable. This is true across the board with any surgery. While we sleep our heart rate decreases which can make you swell up. During this time, your pain medication will wear off and when you wake up, you will be uncomfortable. If you expect this medium to mild pain, it’s not so scary. Just know that this is normal and it WILL get better as your healing progresses.
Be Patient
That’s why we call you “patients” after-all!! This tip is directly involved with #1. Once you’re being realistic about your recovery and you’ve educated yourself on what to expect in terms of pain; you then have the job of waiting…Now, this is the easiest step physically (seeing as though most people plan to recover in advance) however this step can be difficult mentally. When your Patient Care Coordinator is discussing recovery time with you at your consultation and pre-op, 2 weeks doesn’t seem that long. However, when you’re actually recovering for 2 full weeks (14 whole days!) your recovery can be quite boring and daunting. Most patients tend to become bored, antsy and start to do things around the house that they are not supposed to do like housework, vacuuming, gardening, exercising etc….Any major physical activity can potentially hinder your healing. So, even though you are bored, use your recovery as time to learn a new language, catch up on some reading or start that challenging puzzle that you’ve been meaning to work on. By keeping your mind busy and letting your body rest, you will heal faster and before you know it, you will be enjoying your new fabulous look!
Don’t Obsess
This is probably the most difficult of the 3 tips because most patients are excited to see their results right away! Realistically, depending on your surgery, you will not see your results right away. You will see a result but it may not be what you were expecting. If you constantly obsess about your result right after surgery, you will not be happy. While our body recovers from cosmetic surgery it swells unevenly, there can be lumps, bumps, bruises and ooze. It can be quite unnerving to see yourself recovering and it can mentally take a toll on you. You start asking yourself questions like– “Did I do the right thing by choosing to do this?”, “What if I stay this way?”, “Will I ever heal?” These are questions that won’t come up if you’re not constantly looking at yourself during your recovery. If you can stay strong mentally, you will heal faster and better than ever. “The rule of thumb” for most cosmetic surgery professionals is to tell patients to cover up all mirrors during their recovering. Most patients laugh when we tell them this however, it really works! Recovering from cosmetic surgery is like “watching the grass grow.” If you sit there and stare at yourself you won’t see the subtle changes that occur during your essential recovery period. However, if you don’t look at yourself for your full recovery and wait for the “big reveal” at your post-operative appointment, you will see a huge difference and you will LOVE your result!!
