Post Cosmetic Surgery Tips To Heal Faster and Minimize Scars
Your cosmetic surgery results can be improved if you do yourself a favor and avoid doing harmful things to your body. You can reduce your risk of scars by taking a few preventative measures. Here are some basic rules to remember for before and after the surgery.
Everybody knows how bad smoking is for you.Most people don’t realize how detrimental it is to the healing process of the skin and every other tissue in the body.Tissues needs oxygen to function and if injured they need oxygen rich blood to heal. Smoking constricts the blood vessels so much that blood flow is reduced.Any form of nicotine must be avoided before and after surgery. This includes patches and gum containing nicotine. There is a huge risk of severe scarring and skin loss in patients using nicotine in almost all cosmetic surgery procedures.
When you do not get the proper amount of oxygen to your cells it can cause cell death also called necrosis. Smoking reduces this proper oxygen amount and ultimately kills off skin cells making it much more difficult to heal. Many cosmetic surgeons will recommend that you quit smoking so your body will heal quicker and lessen the chance of scarring.
Anti-inflammatory drugs should also be avoided. They should be avoided two to three weeks before and after surgery. Aspirin and other anti-inflammatory medication causes your blood to thin. If your blood is thinned then your risk of bleeding post operative is increased. Vitamin-E is also causes the blood to thin and should be avoided. Talk to your doctor about what OTC (over the counter) medications should not be taken.
Drink lots of water. Water is very important in flushing toxins out of your body. It also keeps your blood volumes high and increases the oxygen to your skin that it needs to heal. Try to drink at least eight glasses of water spaced throughout your day.
Dehydration is also caused from not drinking enough water. It causes dry skin, loose skin elasticity, and your skin to lose its fullness. Drink more water to keep your body hydrated. There have been studies that correlate caffeine with dehydration. There results are inconclusive but try to avoid caffeine. Many cosmetic professionals recommend just this to their patients.
The healing process after the surgery must be taken great care of. It is important to talk to your plastic surgeon about the proper ways to clean and change your bandages to avoid infections. Do not miss these appointments. You have to follow these instructions so that you don’t have any complications post-op.
After the surgery you should dedicate some time to recovery. There should not be any strenuous activity during this time. Recovery time varies between three days to even weeks, it depends on the type of surgery. You should also avoid direct sunlight after surgery. If there is swelling you should also apply ice packs to the area. Place a towel between the swollen area and then apply ice. Do not apply it directly.