Top Ten Don’ts Before Cosmetic Surgery
July 31st, 2014
Dr. Bashioum recommends Not to Do:
DON’T drink alcohol
Drinking alcohol before and/or after surgery may cause significant problems.
DON’T smoke
The chemicals and drugs in tobacco reduce blood flow and oxygenation of the skin. Smoking hinders healing and increases your risk for skin loss and scarring by ten fold.
DON’T take aspirin or ibuprofen
These medications, among others reduce the function of platelets, leading to increased bleeding and bruising. Other medications, such as alcohol, vitamins and herbal supplements also cause problems, so check with your doctor first.
DON’T tan your scars
Help minimize scars by not tanning because sun or artificial tanning may cause discoloration, making scars become more noticeable. For more information on minimizing surgery scars click here.
DON’T judge results for 6 months
Swelling is a normal part of any surgery and can take some time to fully resolve. Complete healing takes a full six months and sometimes longer for final results to be apparent. Dr. Bashioum is available 24/7 for his patients during recovery. Although it can be difficult, please be patient to see your final results.
Aspirin Before Surgery
October 17th, 2013
Preparation for surgery is essential to make the post-operative course for patients easier and safer. Both pain and risk of complications can be reduced if you follow doctors orders before and after your surgery. Here is one of my top recommendations prior to surgery on our Do and Don’t list for our patients (other surgeons may have different recommendations). It is important for patients to follow whatever instructions their chosen surgeon provides.
Discontinue taking all aspirin and NSIDs, such as Ibuprofen, before surgery. Both of these drugs affect platelet function in the blood. The result is a reduced ability to clot the blood when tissue is divided (cut) in surgery. This can lead to unwanted bleeding and bruising after surgery. These effects last for two weeks. Therefore, I recommend that patients stop taking these medications two weeks before surgery.
Most surgeons give their patients detailed written instructions before surgery. Read All Your Materials. We provide our patients with comprehensive before surgery instructions, after surgery instructions, a list of medications to avoid, and the surgical consent. Go over the documents a couple of times and make sure you understand everything. If you have questions, call or make an appointment and get all your questions answered. A well-informed patient is a goal that we strive for, because even cosmetic surgery is still surgery.
Surgery is by and large safe. However, complications are always a risk with any surgical procedure. You can help in reducing your post-operative risks by following a few simple recommendations before surgery. Detailed Before and After Nipntuck Instructions are included on our site. Please use our search function for our instructions and a Q&A for a specific procedure.
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