10 Tips to a Great Recovery from Face, Body or Breast Surgery
After having Plastic Surgery, whether it was a Breast Augmentation, Breast Reduction, Breast Uplift or Facelift, you are probably feeling vulnerable, tired and a little worse for wear. This is part of the process of recovery and luckily as a patient, you can do your bit to speed your recovery time up to get the best results so that you are soon back on your feet, well rested and in a positive mindset to enjoy a more beautiful you!
Whether you have used one of the Best Cosmetic Surgeons in the North West and had your Plastic Surgery in Manchester or Cheshire, the following are our Top 10 Tips for a Speedy Recovery.
1 Rest
After surgery you are likely to feel tired even if you have been under General Anaesthetic (or GA) as although you have been “put asleep” you are not really sleeping as you normally would.
You should rest and go to bed early after your surgery and if you have had surgery on your eyes or face then it is best to sleep with a couple of pillows behind your head to slightly elevate the area to reduce any swelling.
2 Diet
You will have had a period of not eating prior to your surgery if you have had a General Anaesthetic (GA) and so you will be running low on calories. Your body uses up a lot of calories and protein when it is healing wounds, so it is important for you to get back to eating a healthy diet as soon as possible. It is advisable to have some light meals in and plan ahead and try to get something that will really tempt your appetite but won’t be difficult to digest eg soups, yogurts, brown rice, salmon, eggs, mousses.
3 Vitamin A
In general a well-balanced healthy diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables will provide all the nutrients that are required for you to recover from your surgery but if you wish to take extra supplements then Vitamins A and C and Zinc all help to promote wound healing. Vitamin A is high in foods such as dark green leafy vegetables, like kale, spinach, also liver, oranges and yellow vegetables such as yellow peppers.
4 Vitamin C
Citrus fruits such as oranges, tangerines, clementines, grapefruits and pink grapefruit are all high in Vitamin C. You should also try strawberries, tomatoes, spinach and broccoli.
5 Protein
Foods rich in protein help repair skin, tissues and muscles and they include meat, beans, eggs, milk, tofu and nuts.
6 Zinc
Foods rich in zinc can be found in fortified cereals, red meat and seafood. Have a stock of your favourite fortified cereals in which you can snack on in between meals if you are hungry or low in energy. The nutritional label on the side of the packet will clearly show which cereals have a good portion of zinc in them.
7 Exercise
It is important that you do not just lie in bed after your surgery as blood clots are a risk. The best prevention is walking so you should aim to do about 5 mins of walking in every hour except when asleep
(unless you sleep walk!) This helps to pump the blood around the body by activating the calf muscles and generally promoting good circulation as well as getting your lungs to open up as there can be some pooled secretions in the lungs particularly if your surgery took longer than a couple of hours.
8 Be patient
After surgery this title is apt because you really must be “patient” and allow your body the time it needs to recover.
Patients often say they feel much better and then try to return to normal activity but then feel very tired. This is normal as your body uses large amounts of energy to heal you.
9 Positive Attitude
Try not to get too frustrated by lying around and instead focus on each and every small improvement you make over your recovery period. Don’t focus on the things you can’t yet do. You will get there when YOUR body is ready!
10 Massage scars
Ask your Surgeon when you can start to massage your scars to help them mature. Keep them covered with a high factor sunscreen or complete sun block to prevent them from becoming pigmented.
If you use these tips individually or in combination then you can be sure that you are giving yourself the best chance to recover well and to gain the best results!!