Speeding Up your Recovery from any Plastic Surgery Procedure

No matter how routine, plastic surgery is major surgery that puts significant strain on the body and its functions. In part, this is because anesthesia has inherent risks, but also because the body sustains injury from which it must heal, any time a surgical procedure is performed. Of course, Dr. Szymanski will detail the risks of your procedure before surgery, during your consultation. We will also provide you with comprehensive pre- and post-operative instructions that give you important advice to recover quickly and minimize the potential for complications. However, there are some general tips and tricks to keep in mind that will minimize your recovery time.

Stay Comfortable

After surgery, you may have some discomfort as the anesthesia wears off. This will likely be worst at the incision sites. While it will get better rapidly, we do not want you to “tough it out”. Being as comfortable as possible after surgery is important to performing activities that allow for a swift and effective recovery. If you are in significant pain, you will be less likely to eat properly and exercise often. Plus, don’t discount the value of mental well-being when recovering from surgery.

Eat and Drink Well

Eating and drinking well after surgery is also important. This means hydrating properly and eating the right foods. Protein is a critical foundation for recovery from surgery, so making sure you get the recommended amount of protein each day will certainly improve the recovery process. Staying hydrated is helpful in reducing the risk of blood clots and warding off infection.

Exercise!

You may find that very shortly after surgery, we encourage you to walk as much as possible. Even before you leave the facility! This exercise is very important to keeping strong blood flow throughout the body. Blood flow is important for the same reasons as above, including minimizing the risk of blood clots and infection. You will likely start slowly but do as much walking as you can each postoperative day after surgery without overexerting yourself. Getting back into an exercise routine, no matter how mild, will help you improve the surgical outcomes. If you have particular exercise annotations for your specific procedure, please be sure to follow them.

Follow the Post-Op Packet!

During recovery, you will want to follow Dr. Szymanski’s postoperative advice very closely. This has been developed over years and is optimized to your particular situation. Of particular importance, you or anyone assisting you must practice good wound care, you should not submerge your incisions in water until you’ve been cleared to do so, do not perform strenuous activity until Dr. Szymanski has told you it’s OK and do not use any creams or ointments that aren’t specifically part of your postoperative plan.

Of course, always contact the office if you have any concerns, if you are experiencing any unusual symptoms as outlined in your post-operative instructions or if you are unsure about anything you should or shouldn’t be doing after surgery.

Dr. Szymanski and our entire team are here for you both before and after surgery and we look forward to making your procedure the safest and most effective one possible.