What can I expect after cosmetic plastic surgery?
Don't expect to be camera-ready right after cosmetic plastic surgery. Your body will need some time to heal, says cosmetic and reconstructive surgeon Robert Grant, MD. Learn how long recovery can take, and what you should ask your doctor pre-surgery,
Transcript
Cosmetic surgery is surgery. And when it requires an operation of a few hours or more, you have to be
realistic about the kinds of time that are involved to recover completely. [MUSIC PLAYING]
Even though we live in a very fast-paced 21st century, the human body heals at the same rate
that human beings have been walking on the face of the Earth. So always make sure that you're setting enough time aside
so that you can recover uneventfully. Making sure that there isn't stress at work or at home as you recover can be one of the quickest ways
to get better faster. If you try and squeeze the operation in between all the other responsibilities that we manage, it can be a real challenge
to get yourself the results that you deserve and get back on your feet in the time that you expect.
The different operations have different recoveries because obviously they are more or less invasive.
Most patients feel pretty good after an eyelid surgery. Within a day or two, they're walking around. They can cover the little bruising with sunglasses.
And after they see the doctor in a week or so to get the stitches out, by 10 days, two weeks, they're pretty much back to baseline.
Body operations like the breast and tummy can take a little longer to recover. Most of those patients can take a few weeks
before they're ready to deal with normal daily activities like lifting a heavy handbag or driving or getting
back to the hectic workplace that we all experience nowadays. So talk to your surgeon about how long
it's going to take you to recover from the operation. The surgeon and his staff will tell you what to expect, what kind of wound care to do, when you can get back
in the shower, when you can drive, how much and how long you might need to have narcotic or other types of pain medicines.
These are all questions that you should expect to have answered before you begin. Because after all, knowledge truly is power.
And the more you know in advance, the more comfortable you're going to feel afterwards. And the more comfortable you feel afterwards,
the better off the experience will be for you as the patient and for me as your surgeon.
surgery
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