What to Expect After Plastic Surgery

Plastic surgery is not for everyone. Some people are eager to experience it while others are not. Plastic surgery is a personal choice that should not be taken lightly. If you are one of those people who is ready to take the plastic surgery plunge for any kind of reason, your choice is respected and you are respected. For a lot of moms, when they are done having children, their bodies have changed drastically and plastic surgery helps to regain confidence and feel good about yourself. Here are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to your plastic surgery recovery.

You Will Not Be Yourself

Any kind of surgery takes a lot out of the patient. No matter how long your recovery is expected to be according to your doctor, you are not just going to wake up and start going back to life. You are going to be worn out, tired, and in pain. There is no way around it. Pain is part of the process of having your body changed.

The best you can do is get on a pain management regiment with your doctor that you are comfortable with, and take the time to heal. The more time you take, the sooner you can get back to your normal life. Be kind to yourself after surgery and make sure you make yourself your number one priority. Plastic Surgeon Dr. Katharine Nitta, MD recommends taking the adequate time off for recovery as it will yield the safest results.

You Will Be Swollen

Swelling is part of surgery. Once again, this is something you can’t avoid as you just had a major change performed on your body. Don’t have the expectation that you are going to wake up in the morning and you are going to look perfect. Instead, you are going to wake up and look nothing like yourself.

After a few weeks and months, you will begin to look as you wish to look. Swelling reduction is part of the healing process and everyone’s body has their own timeline when it comes to healing. Know that your results will take some time to show, so don’t worry or panic in the early days after surgery

Expect Some Scarring

Depending on what kind of surgery you are having, there is going to be some scarring. For example, when you have a tummy tuck, there are going to be tummy tuck scars. The general rule of thumb on this is that wherever there is an incision, there is going to be a mark left behind where your skin heals itself.

A lot of plastic surgeons will be able to reduce this to almost nothing, but there will always be a little something that only you can see. Keep in mind that when you are fully recovered, you will be able to see some marks, but that doesn’t mean that anyone else is going to be able to see them.

You May Experience Numbness

When you wake up from your surgery and you are swollen and bruised, you are not going to feel anything at the site of your surgery. When the swelling and bruising go away, however, that numbness may last and it may last for up to a year. With a lot of surgeries, nerves and muscle and tissue move around, and it can take a long time for that shift to fully heal and for feeling to come back 100%.

If you continue to experience numbness, keep a conversation going with your doctor so that it can be monitored and steps can be taken to get feeling back into your surgery area. Numbness is normal, but keep an eye on it anyway.

You Need to Move Around

Depending on where on your body your surgery is, your doctor may recommend that you take some time out of your day to move around and get the blood flowing. When you lay around all day or sit around all day, your muscles can weaken and depending on where you surgery was, strengthening muscles is necessary for your surgery to be a success.

Get up once or twice a day and move around to keep your body strong and healthy. Moving around also increases blood flow to the areas that were operated on, and that can help with the healing process and allowing muscles and tissues to settle in the proper place.

Eat Well

After surgery, it is super important for you to eat well. Your diet is everything when you are recovering from surgery, so before you go in for your procedure, ensure that your house is stocked with all that you are going to need to be able to eat healthy for a couple of weeks after your surgery.

Healthy eating and nutrition will help you heal faster, heal better, and heal properly. If your body is not getting the right amount of nutrients, you run the risk of infections, feeling tired, and feeling sick.

Take Care of Your Surgical Area

You are going to need help after surgery. Make sure you have someone you trust with you at all times to help you get around, get to the bathroom, and keep your incisions clean. Cleaning the dressing on incisions is important because it prevents the areas from getting infected. By changing the dressings, you also get a chance to look at the surgery site to ensure that everything is healing properly. It may be hard to look at yourself in that state, but if you have a strong-stomached friend who doesn’t mind looking at your surgery area, you will be able to alert your doctor if anything seems to be going wrong.

Healing Is Not a Race

Everyone’s bodies are different. Everyone heals differently. Pay attention to yourself and how your body is feeling after your procedure. Keep in constant communication with your doctor and take as much time as is necessary to get back on your feet. Plastic surgery is not for everyone, but if you have elected to go ahead with your plan, healing and time should be a part of that journey.