Before and After
Preparing for Surgery
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Preparing for surgery - it is very important to have a quiet window of time to look after yourself before, during and after surgery. To improve your recovery you need a positive mental attitude and a healthy diet.
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Smoking – smoking reduces the blood supply to the skin and speeds up the collagen degradation increasing the number of post-operative complications which include deep vein thrombosis and chest problems. This can cause the patient to cough resulting in post-operative bleeding.
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Because of a poorer blood supply to the skin, wounds often heal slowly, some surgical procedures cannot be performed on people who smoke unless they have stopped at least six to eight weeks prior to surgery.
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Weight – weight must be as close to normal as possible and you must avoid sharp fluctuations in weight. As an example, if you have a procedure to tighten or remove excess skin, ie a breast-lift, face-lift or abdominoplasty, and you proceed to gain or lose a significant amount of weight, the result will be suboptimal.
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Medication – you must let Mr Khandwala know about all medication including herbal remedies as products such as Ginkgo Biloba can increase bleeding during surgery.
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Questions - write your questions down since it is easy to forget what you would like to ask once in the consulting room. If you would feel more comfortable, take a friend or relative with you and give yourself adequate time to make a decision regarding surgery.
After the surgery
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Post-operative precautions – some painkillers (Codamol, Co-Proximol, Codeine and Tramadol)can aggravate constipation and itwould be wise to take precautions by way of a mild post-operative laxative since straining can result in increased bleeding.
After facial surgery you must sleep on additional pillows with your head raised to reduce the amount of swelling. The head of the bed may be raised by placing heavy books under the feet of the bed. Avoid rapid movement and bending down especially after facial surgery and most importantly, give yourself enough time to recover.
You will feel able to do many things after surgery as recovery is usually good. However your body still needs time to recover and it is very easy to do too much. Avoid stress and take steps to keep off boredom.