After a number of plastic surgeries and cosmetic procedures, there are specific post-operative care tips that we request our patients use to ensure a smooth and successful outcome.
Your care team at Aristocrat Plastic Surgery & MedAesthetics would like to share our highly recommended post-op care tips and guidelines to help you achieve the goals you set for yourself when you had your plastic surgery or cosmetic procedure.
The post-op care we’ll cover are for the following procedures:
- Face Lift / Neck Lift / Blepharoplasty / Rhinoplasty
- Breast Augmentation / Breast Reduction / Lift / Fat Transfer to Breast
- Abdominoplasty / Tummy Tuck
- Brachioplasty / Body Lift
- Liposuction / Skin Tightening
- Brazillian Buttocks Lift
The general post-op care tips for all cosmetic procedures are to:
- Follow all post-op instructions given
- Avoid overexertion and exercise
- Eat healthy (focus on lean protein, fruits and veggies, low carbs).
- Drink a LOT of water
- Avoid excessive sun exposure
- Have a support system
To illustrate the post-op care you should follow for procedures mentioned above, we’ll segment each procedure with the chronology of what conditions you may encounter during your recovery, and the tips and care you should follow to alleviate them.
Face or Neck Lift
WEEK 1
Initially following your procedure, along with feeling groggy and tired, you may experience swelling and bruising. You will be required to wear a face garment to help with the swelling and bruising.
WEEK 2 – 3
During the next couple of weeks, you may experience numbness, tingling, and tightness in your face or neck. You may no longer need pain meds, but can still take over the counter tylenol to alleviate your symptoms. We recommend applying a gentle massage to the area, and apply Bacitracin 2 times per day. Also, you should still be wearing a face garment at night.
WEEK 4
During week 4, you may begin to start seeing facial contours appear, and your incisions will almost be healed. At this time, you’ll schedule a return appointment to Aristocrat to have the suture remnants removed. Lymphatic massage can also be applied to relieve discomfort.
WEEK 6
By week 6, you may feel some minor tightness in the face and neck areas, but major swelling should subside by now, and you should be able to go back to your normal activities. Lymphatic massage can also be continued for any discomfort.
3 MONTHS
Within 3 months following your procedure, you should begin to see the final results appear more prominently, along with more noticeable facial contours.
Post-Op Care Tips
There are other care tips and things to keep an eye on while you recover. After you return home from your procedure, you may shower or bathe following your first follow up visit to Aristocrat.
At home, be sure to monitor your face and neck for any bruising or swelling that may occur. Keep your head elevated and use our Renewal Cream to massage into your face periodically.
When you’re sleeping, be sure to wear a facial garment to protect your face during sleep, and if any of the incision sites give you discomfort, use Bacitracin for relief.
You should be able to resume light exercise after 3 weeks, but continue to take it easy. And for pain management, it’s extremely important to stop using narcotics ASAP!
When To Call Us
There may be times during your recovery period when a condition requires immediate attention. Hopefully, your recovery will be smooth and free of complications. But if any of the following conditions should appear, call us immediately:
- If you’re experiencing a fever of 101.5 or higher
- If there is significant bleeding from your incisions
- If you have severe pain that’s not being relieved by pain medications
- If you’re experiencing difficulty breathing
- If you’re unable to urinate
- If any of your stitches rupture
- If you notice any abnormal discharge from incision sites
Blepharoplasty (Eyelid Surgery)
WEEK 1
Initially following your procedure, along with feeling groggy and tired, you may experience swelling and bruising.
WEEK 2 – 3
During the next couple of weeks, you may no longer need pain meds, and swelling and bruising should begin to resolve.
WEEK 4
During the fourth week, your incisions will almost be fully healed, and your eyes will feel less irritated.
WEEK 6
In your sixth week, you should begin to see the final results of your procedure appear, with minor to no swelling or bruising. You can resume exercise.
3 MONTHS
After the 3 month period, the final results of your procedure should be evident, and all swelling and bruising should have subsided.
Post-Op Care Tips
There are other care tips and things to keep an eye on while you recover. After you return home from your procedure, you may resume showering and bathing. Keep your head elevated while sleeping, and massage your lower eyelids with Aristocrat’s Signature Eye Cream.
Be extra careful with eyewear. You should probably refrain from wearing contacts until you’re fully healed, and switch to glasses for the time being. Use lubricating eye drops to relieve irritation. Monitor any bruising and swelling, and if incision sites begin to give you discomfort, apply bacitracin for relief. Minimize your exposure to the sun, and for pain management, use Tylenol.
When To Call Us
There may be times during your recovery period when a condition requires immediate attention. Hopefully, your recovery will be smooth and free of complications. But if any of the following conditions should appear, call us immediately:
- If you’re experiencing a fever of 101.5 or higher
- If there is significant bleeding from your incision sites
- If you experience a loss of vision
- If you’re experiencing difficulty breathing
- If you’re unable to urinate
- If your incisions aren’t closed after 3 weeks
- If you notice your stitches rupturing
- If you notice any discharge from the incision site
Breast Augmentation
WEEK 1
Initially following your procedure, along with feeling groggy and tired, you may experience swelling and bruising. You should be wearing a compression bra during this time.
WEEK 2 – 3
During the next couple of weeks, continue wearing your compression bra and begin a gentle massage of the area. Apply bacitracin 2 times per day.
WEEK 4
During the fourth week, your incisions will almost be healed, and you can stop wearing your compression bra. At this time, you can begin your scar therapy.
WEEK 6
In your sixth week, your implants will have dropped significantly and swelling should subside. You can also resume exercising.
3 MONTHS
After the 3 month period, you should begin to see the final results appear from your procedure. The implants will have dropped and fluffed out, and you can begin wearing regular bras.
Post-Op Care Tips
There are other care tips and things to keep an eye on while you recover. After you return home from your procedure, you may resume showering and bathing after your first post-op visit to Aristocrat.
You’ll need to massage the breasts for smooth implants and wear garments with or without straps. If you feel any discomfort around the incision sites, apply bacitracin to the areas. For your scar therapy, use Biocorneum or a TriPac. Discontinue using narcotics for pain management after 1 week.
Maintain elevated sleeping after 1 week, and resume light exercise and arm movements after 3 weeks.
When To Call Us
There may be times during your recovery period when a condition requires immediate attention. Hopefully, your recovery will be smooth and free of complications. But if any of the following conditions should appear, call us immediately:
- If you’re experiencing a fever of 101.5 or higher
- If you experience significant bleeding or unusual pain
- If you experience difficulty breathing
- If you’re unable to urinate
- If your incisions aren’t closed after 3 weeks
- If you notice any rupturing of stitches
- If you notice any significant breast asymmetry after 6 weeks
- If you notice any abnormal discharge from the incision site
Breast Reduction or Lift
WEEK 1
Initially following your procedure, along with feeling groggy and tired, you may experience swelling and bruising. You should be wearing a compression bra and bandages during this time.
WEEK 2 – 3
Between weeks 2 and 3, continue wearing your compression bra and apply bacitracin 2 times per day to incision sites. Endermologie/LM may not be recommended at this time.
WEEK 4
During the fourth week, your incisions will almost be healed, and you can stop wearing your compression bra. At this time, you can begin your scar therapy.
WEEK 6
In your sixth week, your breasts will begin to take their natural shape and swelling should subside. You can also resume exercising.
3 MONTHS
After the 3 month period, you should begin to see the final results appear from your procedure, and you can begin wearing regular bras.
Post-Op Care Tips
There are other care tips and things to keep an eye on while you recover. After you return home from your procedure, you may resume showering and bathing after your first post-op visit to Aristocrat.
You’ll need to massage the breasts with Aristocrat Advanced Smoothing Body Butter, and continue wearing your special garment wear. Normal bruising and swelling is expected during recovery, but to treat scarring, we recommend scar therapy using Biocorneum or Tripac, and Oleeva Scar Forms, which are available on Amazon.
Keep on top of any pain experienced with appropriate pain management (e.g.: Tylenol), and only engage in light exercise and arm movement as you can tolerate as you heal.
When To Call Us
There may be times during your recovery period when a condition requires immediate attention. Hopefully, your recovery will be smooth and free of complications. But if any of the following conditions should appear, call us immediately:
- If you’re experiencing a fever of 101.5 or higher
- If you experience significant bleeding or unusual pain
- If you experience difficulty breathing
- If you’re unable to urinate
- If your incisions aren’t closed after 3 weeks
- If you notice any rupturing of stitches
- If you notice any significant breast asymmetry after 6 weeks
- If you notice any abnormal discharge from the incision site
At Aristocrat Plastic Surgery & MedAesthetics, we make sure that our patient care after any procedure is just as amazing as it is during any procedure. In these times, we have all of our Aristocrat exclusive products available in our online store, and also offer telehealth appointments with Dr. Tehrani to follow-up on procedures that were done earlier. As always, reach out to our patient care specialists with any concerns or questions.