Preparing for Your Surgery
Any surgery, including elective plastic and cosmetic surgery, has risks and the potential for complications. If you are healthy to begin with, it will improve your overall experience. Here are tips for you to consider if you are thinking about having a cosmetic or reconstructive procedure.
Mental Preparation And Peace Of Mind Before Plastic Surgery
Having a good mental attitude, realistic expectations, and patience makes a world of difference both before and after surgery. When you approach your surgery with the proper mindset, the procedure and your recovery go much smoother.
- Your mental health needs to be at its best. Patients with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and other mental issues could experience an exacerbation of their symptoms from medications and the stress associated with surgery. Stress and pain can trigger mental issues. Surgery is not recommended during times of high stress, such as divorce, death, and when dealing with other stressful social and psychological issues.
- Keep a calm perspective. This is elective surgery and you are healthy. We are dealing with skin and tissue movement – this is not open-heart surgery. Millions of people undergo plastic surgery every day with easy recoveries and excellent results. It is not helpful to spend hours online researching potential plastic surgery complications and bad outcomes.
- Do your homework. Make sure your plastic surgeon is board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, and view many (not one or two) before-and-after pictures of his or her work so you know your doctor can deliver results you admire. Bargain shopping when it comes to your health and body is not OK in this situation.
Your overall health
Good candidates for cosmetic surgery are women and men who are:
- physically healthy and at a stable weight
- interested in improving their physical appearance
- have realistic expectations
- non-smokers.
If you are working on losing a substantial amount of weight or planning a pregnancy, consider postponing your cosmetic surgery until you have reached your goals. Significant fluctuations in weight after surgery will diminish your aesthetic improvements. Losing weight before surgery will also reduce your risk of complications.
Dietary Considerations When Preparing For Plastic Surgery
Food and liquid consumption can impact your ability to undergo a safe, effective surgical procedure. When preparing for plastic surgery, be mindful of certain dietary restrictions and considerations, such as:
- NPO: This means Nothing Per Oral – no water or food, usually after midnight before your surgery. Food or water in your belly risks aspiration from anesthesia. Your surgery will be cancelled if you stop at Starbucks on the way to the surgery center and have a pumpkin spice latte.
- Meals: Follow a soft diet and avoid heavy meals for a few days preceding the surgery. Have soups and soft mild foods available for after surgery.
- Hydration: Stay well-hydrated before and after surgery. Electrolyte solutions like Gatorade are best.
- Caffeine use: If you are regular caffeine or coffee drinker, continue to drink black coffee or soda after surgery. This will decrease symptoms or a headache that can occur from caffeine withdrawal.
- Medications: Prescribed medications such as blood pressure medicine, heart medication, or Valium can be taken the morning of surgery with saliva in your mouth. It is fine to take your normal migraine or tension headache medicine if approved by Dr. Brown. Again, no aspirin, Motrin, or ibuprofen.
Vitamins to take before your plastic surgery
- There are several vitamins to talk to your surgeon about taking prior to your surgery. Please take a look at the below information:
- Vitamin A – taken in too large of a dose, this can cause several maladies you’d rather not deal with right now. Be sure to get a recommendation from your surgeon or patient representative for this. Vitamin A is important to the healing process as it plays an important role in collagen production and formation as well as aiding in protection against bacterial and viral infections.
- Vitamin C – you’ll want to take this prior to your surgery as the surgery itself will deplete your body’s vitamin C stores. Taking it before and after the surgery significantly reduces your healing time. Also, Vitamin C is a is an essential element in collagen production which is important for healing wounds of any type as well as a means to boost your immune system.
Do Not:
- Do not eat or drink anything after midnight prior to the morning of your surgery.
- Do not wear makeup, lotions or perfume to surgery.
- Do not wear fingernail polish to surgery.
- Do not plan to drive yourself to or from the procedure.
- Do not wear jewelry.
- Do not bring valuables.
Do:
- Do wash with an antibacterial soap the night prior to or the morning of your surgery.
- Do arrive at the surgical facility on time.
- Do arrange for transportation to and from the procedure.
- Do wear loose fitting clothes that you do not need to pull over your head in order to put on or take off.
- Do have a parent or guardian accompany you if you are under the age of 18.
- Do leave your valuables at home, but bring your ID and method of payment.
- If you wear artificial fingernails, please do remove the fingernail on the index finger of your right hand so that we may attach the monitoring equipment properly.
Why should i stop drinking before my plastic surgery
There are a couple of reasons, one is very obvious but others are less so.
- Alcohol thins your blood – we all know this. During surgery and the recovery process, it’s important that your blood is as close to normal as possible. The process itself, of course, involves cutting and moving skin, tissue, and sometimes muscle – this all results in bleeding. If your blood is thinner than normal, or thinner than expected, the surgeon may have a harder time stopping unexpected bleeding. For this reason alone, most surgeons will simply refuse to work on a patient who has not followed their instructions in this matter.
- Alcohol also causes your skin to dry out and this is an obvious problem for plastic surgery as well as the recovery period. Dry skin is harder for the surgeon to work on, harder to staple, harder to stitch and more likely to form visible scars. The recovery process is also compromised as the dry skin just won’t heal as well.
- There are many other reasons to stop drinking before and after your Plastic Surgery in accordance with your surgeon’s directions – your surgeon will, I’m sure, explain these in detail if you ask.