You Absolutely Need These Two Things After Plastic Surgery

Plastic surgery procedures have been on the upswing over the past year. Whereas you might think that periods of social distancing and relative lockdown might lead to a decrease in beauty treatments, the opposite has happened. People have become more interested in procedures that will help them look and feel their best for two primary reasons. One is that many people are seeing themselves on camera on a daily basis due to the prevalence of remote-working. The other is that there is more opportunity to recover comfortably without feeling rushed to get back to life as usual. 

It doesn’t matter what type of plastic surgery you are thinking of having done. All plastic surgery involves incisions and some type of tissue disruption. While you may want to know details like how much discomfort you may feel after your procedure (Not much! You’ll have prescription medication to manage!), we’ve got a few tidbits that you really need to know if you want your recovery to go as smoothly as possible. Follow these tips and your body will thank you. 

Rest

It’s obvious that you’d need a little more rest than usual after having surgery, right? We think so, too! However, we’ve come to realize that it is incredibly difficult for most people to take advantage of their time off. Rest after plastic surgery looks like a lot of sleep, and that can be harder than you imagine. We’re not taught to prioritize sleep, nor do we put much stock in the value of just lying around when we feel like it. Before plastic surgery, you may get by with 7 to 8 hours of sleep. For a week or two after your procedure, your body may demand more like 10. Even with that, you may find yourself wanting a nap sometime during the day. We cannot stress enough how important this is to the healing process. It is when we sleep that the body produces healing chemicals. Keep that in mind if you feel the urge to push through moments of fatigue. 

Mobility

Rest and mobility go hand in hand to produce a healed, regenerated body. Your post-operative instructions will probably include at least a few physical limitations. You will be advised not to strain to lift heavy objects and to avoid elevating your heart rate too much. However, you need to move your body a little bit every day. Short walks become a little longer day by day and each walk helps maintain the adequate blood circulation that is needed to prevent blood clots. A good rule of thumb is to avoid “pushing it” with the walking but to do what you can within comfortable parameters.

The recovery period is the aspect of plastic surgery that patients often feel the most nervous about. You need not feel stress during recovery. Our team is here to see you through! Schedule your plastic surgery consultation with Cincinnati surgeon Dr. Donna Krummen at 513.985.0850.