There are several things that can increase your risk of complications after surgery. Here are some things to stop before surgery.

1. Aspirin, NSAIDS, and blood thinners: Stop taking aspirin and NSAIDs (Ibuprofen, Aleve, Motrin, etc) for 7 days before surgery. Tylenol is ok to keep taking for pain. Please let Dr. Page know if you are on blood thinners (coumadin, xarelto, eliquis, etc) so we can decide whether it needs to be stopped or bridged with lovenox. If you are unable to stop aspirin due to your cardiologist's recommendations, please confirm with your cardiologist and reach out to our office.

2. Vitamins and Supplements: The following should be discontinued 7-10 days before surgery: Vitamin E, chondroitin, ephedra, glucosamine, ginseng, garlic, ginkgo biloba, echinacea, phentermine, feverfew, fish oil, goldenseal, kava, saw palmetto, turmeric, St. John’s Wort, and Valerian.

3. Nicotine: Smoking, vaping, or nicotine gum/patches can cause poor wound healing and infections. We understand that stopping smoking is a very difficult endeavor. We also believe that you would want to proceed with surgery when you can get the best outcome.

4. Alcohol can promote swelling of the surgical area and it is best to avoid alcohol intake for at least one week before surgery. It can also interfere with pain medication and antibiotics so best to avoid after surgery as well.

5. Caffeine raises your blood pressure and causes your blood vessels to constrict, so if you have high caffeine intake, you may want to decrease this. A cup of coffee a day will be fine, as it does help with getting your bowel function to return faster.

Every procedure has a different recovery, and every person responds to surgery differently. In general, compression is critical while swelling is on board. Incisions take 6-8 weeks to fully heal, but scars won't fully heal until 12-18 months. Things will settle by 6 weeks - 3 months but sometimes full outcome not achieved until 6-12 months.

FACE:

Facelift

Swollen and bruised 1-2 weeks at home (sutures out at 1 week). No strenuous activity 2-4 weeks. Fully social by 4-6 weeks.

Blepharoplasty

Swollen and bruised 1 week. Sutures out at 5-7 days. Occasional mild bruising up to 10-14 days. Ready for makeup by 10-14 days.

Rhinoplasty

Internal packing x 1-2 days. Splint on for 1 week. Swelling/bruising 1-2 weeks. Most swelling down by 6 weeks. Full swelling gone by 1 year.

BREAST:

Breast lift/reduction

Compression x 6 weeks day and night. Occasional drain placement x 1 week. Back to desk work in 1-2 weeks. Full activity by 6 weeks.

Breast augmentation

Compression x 6 weeks day and night. Back to desk work in 1-2 weeks. Full activity by 6 weeks. Upper pole swelling for 6-12 weeks.

Breast implant exchange

Compression x 6 weeks day and night. Back to desk work in 1 week.

Lumpectomy with lift/reduction

Same as above lift/reduction but may have additional soreness due to lymph node sampling.

Mastectomy with implant/expander

Drains for 10-14 days. Breast binder x 3 weeks, then compression bra x 3-6 weeks. Physical therapy starting at 3 weeks. Out of work for 6 weeks.

DIEP flap reconstruction

Drains for 1-3 weeks. Abdominal binder x 6-8 weeks. Bra ok starting at 4 weeks. Physical therapy starting at 3 weeks. Out of work for 6 weeks.

BODY:

Liposuction

Soreness, swelling, bruising for 10-14 days. Back to work in 1-2 weeks if only liposuction done. Lymphatic massage therapy recommended in cases of higher volume liposuction for best results.

Abdominoplasty

Drain for 2 weeks. Abdominal binder x 6-8 weeks. Back to desk work in 2-3 weeks. No heavy lifting x 6-8 weeks. Swelling down by 3-6 months.

Body contouring (arm lift, body lift, thigh lift, etc)

Swelling/compression garments x 6-12 weeks. Back to desk work in 2 weeks.

FMLA and short term disability forms

We are happy to complete your FMLA forms. Please submit to our front desk. There will be a $25 administrative fee.

Long term or permanent disability

We cannot provide an accurate assessment for long term or permanent disability, but we are happy to refer you to a specialist to assess for qualification.

Surgery is a disruptive event in anyone's life. It comes with a physical, financial, social, and professional cost. The following recommendations are merely suggestions and not applicable to everyone. Please keep your efforts reasonable and do what is right for you.

WORK:

Most people will take some time off from work for a major surgery. Minor procedures can be done with minimal downtime. Please see above "Expected Recovery" section to read more about average expected time off from work. Again, everyone recovers at different speeds.

CHILDCARE:

Most surgeries will require a period of time without heavy lifting, due to bleeding risk and incisions needing to heal. We advise parents of young children to take the weeks leading up to surgery to talk to their children about cuddling with mom as opposed to asking her to lift them. Training young children to independently climb into car seats (with treats!) will get them prepared for after surgery as well. Most people will want help for about a week or two after surgery when they have young children.

HOUSE/YARD WORK:

You are not advised to bend forward to pick things up after face and breast surgeries for 2 weeks, reach for high items after breast surgeries, exert your core for 2-4 weeks after abdominoplasty, etc. It will be best to plan for help with cleaning, laundry, dishes for the first 2-4 weeks after surgery, depending on the type of surgery. For breast and body surgeries, in general, full strength in your scars won't be reached until 8 weeks, so avoid strenuous exercise or yard work until after that time point.

BATHING/SWIMMING:

Showering is ok 48 hours after your surgery. It is recommended to keep your drain dressings dry, but paper tape can get wet. If you have had surgery on the front of your body, it is recommended to shower with your back to the shower. Immersing your incisions underwater in the bath, pool, lake, ocean, etc is not advised until at least 6 weeks after surgery.

SLEEPING:

Sleeping with your head elevated is recommended for face surgery, and often with breast surgery. We have some bed wedge recommendations on our Amazon list. Some people will choose to sleep in a recliner or couch for the first couple of weeks. After abdominoplasties or DIEP flap surgery, you should keep your waist bent for at least 2-4 weeks when you sleep. If sleeping upright is more difficult, you can place pillows under your knees to help bend your waist. It is recommended to sleep ON YOUR BACK with almost all surgeries except BBL or buttock fat transfer surgeries, in which case you may be advised to sleep alternating on your sides, or in a BBL chair.

EATING:

Immediately after surgery, we recommend drinking liquids first to make sure you can keep things down after anesthesia. You can advance your diet as you tolerate at home. We recommend eating foods that are non-inflammatory (avoid red meat, processed meat, commercial baked goods, white flour bread/pasta, deep-fried foods, foods/drinks with added sugar, transfatty foods, etc) and easy to digest. If it made you bloat before surgery, it will certainly make you bloat afterwards. Constipation is very common after surgery, so eat foods that will help you combat this, and take a stool softener or mild laxative until you are regular.

INTIMACY:

Intimacy may be resumed when you feel your body is ready. Using above guidelines of lifting restrictions, etc, and listening to your body will help you determine this.